Kate Middleton Uses a Rarely Seen Name to Make Surprise Donation to Boy She Met on Three Peaks Challenge
Kate Middleton Uses a Rarely Seen Name to Make Surprise Donation to Boy She Met on Three Peaks Challenge
Stephanie PetitTue, June 30, 2026 at 2:20 PM UTC
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Kate Middleton; Ted HaslamCredit: Ian Vogler via Samir Hussein/WireImage; justgiving.com -
Kate Middleton made a donation to an 11-year-old boy named Ted Haslam who she met while taking on the Three Peaks Challenge
Ted and a team of family and friends were raising money for the charity Molly Ollys, which provided him with play equipment when he was previously hospitalized
The Princess of Wales made the donation under a rarely-used name
Kate Middleton donated to an 11-year-old boy whom she met while taking on the Three Peaks Challenge over the weekend, and it came with a personal message and a rarely-used name.
The Princess of Wales, 44, spent the weekend climbing the highest mountains in the U.K. — Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales — in 24 hours in an effort to spotlight life beyond cancer and support The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which treated her after her 2024 cancer diagnosis.
During the trek, Princess met many other hikers, including Ted Haslam, who was also taking on the Three Peaks Challenge with the help of family and friends who maneuvered his wheelchair up and down the mountains. The effort was in support of the charity Molly Ollys, which provided him with play equipment when he was previously hospitalized.
After Kate and Ted had a chat on Ben Nevis, the royal went a step further in supporting his mission by making a donation on his JustGiving page. PEOPLE understands the donation was between £1,000 and £2,000, and it was accompanied by a personal message.
"One of the real highlights of the Three Peaks Challenge was meeting inspiring people like you along the way. Huge congratulations to the entire team for raising money for such a wonderful cause," she wrote.
She signed the message with a "C," her first initial for her full name, "Catherine," which is her way of indicating that the note came directly from her.
The full name given with the donation was "Catherine Wales," combining her first name with her royal title as the Princess of Wales.
While the official surname of the British royal family is Mountbatten-Windsor, royals often use their titles as a basis for last names in instances where one is called for. Prince William and Princess Kate's three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8 — go by the last name of Wales at school, rather than their royal titles.
As seen in fan footage shared to Instagram, the Princess of Wales made sure to check in with Ted amid inclement weather as they met on the mountain.
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“How are you doing, Ted? You're not too cold?" she asked. "So many people are still in their T-shirts! Why are they doing that?"
Ted was paralyzed after being diagnosed with an aggressive spinal tumor at age 3 and made the trek with a group of family and friends, who pushed and carried his wheelchair.
Kate also asked about Ted's "lucky mascot," a stuffed animal which represented the Molly Ollys charity he was fundraising for. The Princess of Wales praised the mission as "fantastic" and told Ted she was "so impressed."
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The Princess of Wales undertook the Three Peaks Challenge — which features 23 miles of hiking with a total elevation gain of 10,052 feet — alone, with support from Mountain Rescue. After her final climb up Mount Snowdon in Wales, she was celebrated at the end by Prince William, their children, her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and her brother James Middleton.
In a statement and video shared on social media, Princess Kate shared what it meant to take on the challenge.
"Lots of people have asked me why I'm doing this challenge, and partly it's personal. I'm so grateful to be here, to be strong enough to walk these hills. But more importantly, it's to give something back and acknowledge all the incredible work going on up and down this country," she said in the video message.
"I have met some incredible people, those people who are living with and beyond cancer, and I know personally how difficult that journey is," she continued. "And I really wanted to use this opportunity as my way of contributing to all the wonderful work that's going on and in particular, to support the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, an organization very dear to me, who do extraordinary work supporting those living with and beyond the disease."
The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity later announced that it opened a dedicated fundraising page for people to donate, explaining that the funds will be used for cancer patients to benefit from holistic care.
After spending much of 2024 out of the public eye amid her cancer diagnosis and treatment, Princess Kate announced in early 2025 that she was in remission.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
