Sarah, Duchess of York and Their Royal Highnesses Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie meet young people with cancer at UCLH

Sarah, Duchess of York, and Their Royal Highnesses Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie visited the UCLH teenage and young adult unit to meet teenagers and young adults with cancer.

In a joint public appearance, the trio, who are Honorary Patrons of Teenage Cancer Trust, visited the ward to meet young patients and thank staff for their work.

During the visit, they met with Lennon Pearson, 18 who was diagnosed with Lymphoma in January. 

Lennon said "I had been feeling unwell for months, so my GP ordered a blood test. The next day I was rushed to hospital, and I'm starting my 4th cycle of chemo here tomorrow.

"You don't meet Royalty every day and it's good that they are visiting to raise awareness. There's a lot of negativity around cancer so trying to stay as positive as you can is important."

The Duchess and Princesses also met patients and youth support coordinators in the recreation space known as the Hub. One patient, Matthew, played his guitar for the guests, while another young patient, Lola, was excited to present Princess Eugenie with a bouquet.

This was the third visit to UCLH for Sarah, Duchess of York, who first visited in 2005 to open the teenage and young adult unit. She also visited in 2016 along with Their Royal Highnesses Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

Speaking about her visit this week, Sarah, Duchess of York, said: 

“This is the first chance I’ve had to visit a unit since my own cancer diagnoses, and meeting young people with cancer is always an incredibly moving experience. 

“It’s incredibly important to me to try to amplify the voices and experiences of people with cancer who receive less attention, whose voices are not listened to and who can be overlooked.  

“The young people receiving care on this unit and their parents are currently under tremendous stress and worry, but I take heart in knowing that the unit and the incredible team working here can provide comfort, care, and hope.”

Vanessa Sweeney, Chief Nurse at UCLH, said,

“It was wonderful to welcome Sarah, Duchess of York, and Their Royal Highnesses Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie to the teenage and young adult unit at University College Hospital, where they were so warmly welcomed by patients, families and staff. Their visit, and long-standing commitment to teenagers and young adults with cancer, is so important as we continue to strive to improve care and outcomes for this important group of patients.”