The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have wished a six-year-old cancer patient “good luck” on her first day of school after she captured Kate Middleton’s heart when a photo of her in isolation while undergoing leukemia treatment went viral.
Little Mila Sneddon’s mum from Falkirk shared a snap Twitter her daughter in school uniform before the start of her “first treatment-free school year” – after she was given the all-clear in April 2022.
The Cambridges’ Twitter account shared the post, tweeting: “Such an incredible journey. Good luck from all of us at Kensington Palace, Mila.”
The schoolgirl met Kate Middleton twice last year after the royal spotted the little girl’s photo in lockdown in March 2020; The image saw her looking through a window at her father, Scott, who was forced to leave the family home to protect his daughter.
The Duchess included the photo, known as “Shielding Mila,” in her 2020 book, Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation, and asked if she could meet Mila.
The mother of little Mila Sneddon, from Falkirk, shared a photo of her daughter in her school uniform before starting her “first year of school without treatment” – after being given the all-clear in April 2022
The Cambridges’ Twitter account shared the post, tweeting: “Such an incredible journey. Good luck from all of us at Kensington Palace, Mila.”
The schoolgirl met Kate Middleton twice last year (pictured in May 2021) after the royal spotted the photo of the little girl in lockdown in March 2020; The image saw her looking through a window at her father, Scott, who was forced to leave the family home to protect his daughter
Mila’s mother Lynda Sneddon wrote on Twitter: “First day of school. Very proud! This is Mila’s first year of school not undergoing treatment. Love you Mila. Thank you @NHSGGC for making this possible #ChildhoodCancer #childhoodcancerawareness #BloodCancer #remission #cancerfree.”
She shared a photo of her beaming daughter in her school uniform while carrying a glittery pink lunch box.
In response to the Duke and Duchess’ tweet, Lynda added: “Thank you for your very kind words. Mila has settled in well and is delighted to be back at school and sends you all best wishes at KP (Kensington Palace).’
In April 2022, Mila rang the bell at Team Jack Cancer Center and even received an email congratulating her from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s office.
Speaking to host Ranvir Singh via video link from her holiday in Ayrshire, Lorraine, her mother Lynda said: “When you first get the news that your child is not well, it’s a big challenge to think about the end of treatment.
“You think you’ll never see the end, so we’re over the moon and ecstatic that Mila has reached this stage.”
The image saw her looking through a window at her father, Scott, who was forced to leave the family home to protect his daughter
Speaking about ringing the bell, she added: “Ringing the bell means the end of treatment, that was Mila’s final chemotherapy. She received daily chemotherapy tablets and intravenous therapy.’
Mila has since recovered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia – a type of cancer that affects white blood cells and requires immediate treatment
Speaking of going back to school the same day after completing treatment, Mila added: “I had to go to school but I just wanted a day off. But everyone around the school clapped me when I rang the bell – it was a surprise.”
She added that she rode her bike while on vacation and was feeling much better.
Discussing the now-famous image that the Duchess of Cambridge displayed at her Hold Still exhibition, Lynda added: “When I took the image I wanted to hold it personally, along with the other images we took during the first made had four months of treatment.
“But it became pretty obvious overnight that it had garnered some attention, but it went viral. It has helped people tremendously to understand what people have been going through.
Friends: The Duchess of Cambridge and the little girl chatted at the joint Christmas service at Westminster Abbey on December 8
Back in December, Mila attended the Christmas service at Westminster Abbey in London organized by the Duchess of Cambridge
Ranvir asked Mila, who had emailed her to congratulate her on her recovery, to which she replied, “Ant and Dec”.
Ranvir added: “Ant and Dec this is amazing! I thought William and Kate might have done that too? The future king and queen, have they contacted you too?’
Little Mila confirmed with a quick, ‘Yeah!’
Mila met Kate twice last year after the royal spotted the photo of the little girl while in lockdown in March 2020, first at Holyroodhouse in May and then again during the Duchess’s Christmas service at Westminster Abbey in December.
The little girl’s mother said the Duchess had a “gentle soul” and made sure to make Mila comfortable at their meetings.
“Those moments made Mila feel very special and it was a good distraction from her treatment,” she said. “Now she will be recognized as the lucky little girl that Kate Middleton met and not as the poor little girl with cancer.”
Mila reads a prayer at the crib accompanied by her mother Lynda during the royal Christmas concert
Mila envisioned reuniting with her father Scott in 2020 after a period of isolation
In May last year, Mila was welcomed to Holyroodhouse by Kate for tea on the last day of her week-long visit to Scotland.
‘[Kate] had made a promise [to wear pink]’ the youngster added, noting that the Duchess had kept her word to don a pink outfit whenever they met after their first phone call.
After Mila was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November 2019 at the age of four, her parents decided the best way to protect their little girl was to take no chances and self-isolate in different homes.
Lynda, a mother of two, stayed with the little girl while father Scott lived apart and shared a heartbreaking photo of Mila kissing her father through the window.
The photo went viral online and was discovered by the Duchess of Cambridge and was later one of the 100 images included in Kate’s 2020 book Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation.
When they first met at Holyroodhouse, the Duchess said to the schoolgirl: “Hi Mila, look at you. I want to hug you tight, it’s so nice to meet you in person.”