Prince William pays tribute as Dame Deborah James’ Bowelbabe Fund reaches ‘incredible milestone’
The Prince of Wales has praised the “fantastic legacy” of Dame Deborah James after her Gut Baby Fund passed the £20 million milestone.
In a personal message on Instagram, William wrote: “What an incredible milestone and an amazing legacy.
“Deborah is still in our thoughts today, as are everyone who loved her. W.”
The fund, which supports cutting-edge research and raises awareness of bowel cancer, was launched in May 2022 with an initial target of £250,000.
You, Me and the Big C podcast host Dame Deborah has been given the dame award for her fundraising efforts that have reached millions.
The honor was personally bestowed by William, who joined his family for afternoon tea and champagne while he was receiving hospice care.
He died in June 2022, aged 40.
Announcing the £20million moment on Instagram, Dame Deborah’s parents Heather and Alistair said they were “thrilled” as they thanked everyone who supported the fund.
In 2022, the then-Duke of Cambridge thanked Dame Deborah James for her “tireless campaign” to raise awareness of bowel cancer throughout her illness.
“I was so honored to be able to talk to him, it felt like a very personal family moment… it was also an amazing day,” she told them of her visit at the time. You, Me and the Big C the owner’s house.
“But thank you, I know he would want me to say that too, thank you for taking care of him – he always spoke so positively about his care.”
The duke also described how the family celebrated with champagne: “He was basically saying, ‘I can drink now, I can drink now, this is great.’
“He was three parked and kept joking about how many drinks he could put in front of him.”
At the time, Dame Deborah posted photos of William with her and her family on Instagram and said it was a “very special day”.
She wrote: “Prince William actually came to our family home today!!
“I am so honored that he joined us for afternoon tea and champagne, where he not only spent a generous amount of time talking to my entire family, but also honored me with Damehood.
“Having a fabulous drink at home is quite surreal and yes, you can imagine the cleaning shenanigans and preparations went off the scale – but none of that mattered because William was so kind and put us all at ease.
“As President of Royal Marsden, he is clearly passionate about improving oncology outcomes.
“It was such a special day for my whole family, I made memories that will last a lifetime. You can come back anytime!”
