The Duke of Cambridge made
a special house call on Friday when he visited Deborah James to present
her with her Damehood after it was revealed that he was the driving
force behind the honour.
The You, Me And The Big C podcaster
– who has raised more than £5.1 million with her Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer
Research UK – announced this week that she is receiving end-of-life care for
her bowel cancer.
On Thursday, she said she was
“blown away and crying at the honour” after Buckingham Palace,
Kensington Palace and No10 Downing Street pulled out all the stops to make it
happen.
Deborah has been treated at
The Royal Marsden Hospital following her diagnosis in 2016, and they were among
the first to congratulate her on such an incredible honour.
“We are so proud of
Deborah James being honoured with a Damehood,” a post on Instagram read on
Friday. We are blown away by the @bowelbabefund, which has now raised an
incredible amount of over £4million to support us, @bowelcanceruk and @cr_uk.
“Deborah is an absolute
inspiration to so many people with cancer, a passionate supporter of The
@royalmarsden Cancer Charity and her infectious positivity has given so many
other people hope. @bowelbabe you are truly special, and you’re an absolute
legend.
“Please buy a drink for
Deborah by donating the price of one or whatever you can to the Bowelbabe
Fund: www.bowelbabe.org.”
Prince William – who has been the patron of The Royal Marsden since 2017, a position previously held by his
mother, Princess Diana – arrived without Duchess Kate at
Deborah’s home to present her with her Damehood.
While Kate has publicly
expressed her admiration for Deborah, she would not have joined her husband as
only he, Prince Charles and Princess Anne can hand out
Investitures on behalf of the Queen.
Damehoods and knighthoods are
usually listed in the New Year or Queen’s Birthday Honours, but in exceptional
circumstances, some are announced at other times.
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Deborah is unsure how long she has left
William and Kate have been
vocal supporters of Deborah and recently 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. W & C.”
