The Prince of Wales praised the 'amazing legacy' of Dame Deborah James after her Bowelbabe Fund passed the £20 million milestone, according to The Independent. Dame Deborah James died in June 2022 at the age of 40, the same outlet reported. Her parents Heather and Alistair announced the £20 million milestone on Instagram and said they were 'thrilled', The Independent noted. In a social media post, Prince William wrote that it was an incredible milestone and an amazing legacy, adding that Deborah is in their thoughts today, as are all those who loved her, according to The Independent. The exact amount raised by the Bowelbabe Fund at the time of King Charles's praise, as reported by GB News, has not been specified, nor has the date or channel of his remarks been confirmed.
Prince William personally conferred the damehood on Dame Deborah James for her fundraising efforts, The Independent reported. The honour was given during a visit where he joined her family for afternoon tea and champagne while she was receiving hospice-at-home care, according to the same source. In 2022, the then Duke of Cambridge thanked Dame Deborah James for her 'tireless campaigning' to raise awareness of bowel cancer throughout her illness, The Independent stated. At a press conference, Prince William said he was honoured to speak to her and described it as a personal family moment, adding that she joked about being able to drink and had multiple drinks lined up, according to The Independent. Dame Deborah James described the visit on her podcast, saying Prince William came to their family house and honoured her with her Damehood, noting he was kind and put them at ease, and was passionate about improving oncology outcomes as President of the Royal Marsden, The Independent reported.
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. 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. 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 life time. He’s welcome back any time!
The Bowelbabe Fund supports cutting-edge research and raises awareness of bowel cancer, The Independent reported. It was launched in May 2022 with an initial target of £250,000, according to the same source. The charity continues to raise money for Cancer Research UK since Ms James's passing away, GB News noted. The total amount raised beyond the £20 million milestone has not been disclosed, and the specific cutting-edge research projects or awareness campaigns supported by the fund remain unspecified.