Prince William made a
surprise visit to see Deborah James on Friday and gift her with a
Damehood, after it emerged that he was the driving force behind the honour.
The Duke, who recently
paid tribute to the BBC star after she announced she had entered hospice care,
joined Deborah and her family for afternoon tea in her garden.
“Prince William actually
came to our family house today!! I am utterly honoured that he joined us for
afternoon tea and champagne, where he not only spent a generous amount of
time talking to my whole family but also honoured me with my Damehood,”
Deborah shared on social media.
“It’s quite surreal
having a royal pop in at home, and yes you can imagine the cleaning antics and
preparation went off the scale – but it was all irrelevant because William was
so kind and he put us all at ease,” she added.
“He is clearly passionate
about improving oncology outcomes as the President of the Royal Marsden. It was
such a special day for my whole family, making memories to last a lifetime.
He’s welcome back any time!”
On Monday evening, the
40-year-old presenter of the podcast You, Me And The Big C, known to
many as Bowel Babe, told followers she does not know “how long I’ve
got left” in a heartbreaking message.
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Pictures shared by Deborah reveal the Prince visited her at home
By Thursday it was reported
that Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and No10 Downing Street had
pulled out all the stops to make the Damehood happen; they are normally only
gifted during the Queen’s New Year Honours.
The Sun revealed that Prince
William was the driving force behind the honour, working behind the
scenes to make it happen.
“If ever an honour was
richly deserved, this is it. Deborah has been an inspiration and her
honesty, warmth and courage have been a source of strength to so many people. My
thoughts are with Deborah and her family. She has the country’s love and
gratitude,” Boris Johnson tweeted at 10pm on Thursday.
Deborah was diagnosed with
stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016 and since then has kept her followers up to date
with her treatments in candid posts about her progress and diagnosis.
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Deborah has entered hospice
Her latest post read:
“The message I never wanted to write. We have tried everything, but my
body simply isn’t playing ball. My active care has stopped and I am now moved
to hospice at-home care, with my incredible family all around me and the
focus is on making sure I’m not in pain and spending time with them. Nobody
knows how long I’ve got left but I’m not able to walk, I’m sleeping most of the
days, and most things I took for granted are pipe dreams.”
Two days later, William and his wife, Kate, shared a special message with fans, writing: “Every now and then,
someone captures the heart of the nation with their zest for life &
tenacious desire to give back to society. @bowelbabe is one of those special
people.”
The pair concluded:
“Deborah, our thoughts are with you, your family and your friends. Thank
you for giving hope to so many who are living with cancer.” They signed
off with the initials “W&C” which confirmed it was sent directly
by the two royals.
