Prince William and Kate Middleton have sent a touching message to Mila Sneddon, the five-year-old little girl with a rare form of blood cancer who stole the Duchess of Cambridge's heart when they met back in 2021, on her first day back at school.
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The Cambridges - whose three young children will be heading back to the classroom in just a matter of weeks - took to Twitter to support Mila as she started her first academic year not undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
WATCH: Mila Sneddon stole the Duchess of Cambridge's heart when they met
"Such an incredible journey. Good luck from all of us at Kensington Palace, Mila," the royal couple wrote after Mila's mother, Lynda Sneddon, shared a photo of the youngster smiling outside her school gates.
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She captioned the picture: "First day back at school Very proud! This is Mila's first school year not undergoing treatment. Love you Mila Thank you @NHSGGC for making this possible #ChildhoodCancer #childhoodcancerawareness #BloodCancer #remission #cancerfree."
Kate Middleton and Prince William showed their support for Mila
Mila's mother quickly thanked the Cambridges for their sweet note, writing in response: "Thank you for your very kind words Mila has settled in well and delighted to be back at school, sending best wishes to you all at KP."
Mila was featured in an iconic picture from Kate's lockdown photographic project, Hold Still, and came to symbolise isolation during the pandemic after she was pictured kissing her family home's kitchen window as her father stood outside.
The Duchess first spoke to Mila over a Zoom call in autumn 2020, promising the youngster that she would wear a pink dress when they could meet in person. True to her word, Kate wore a bubblegum pink Me+Em dress as the pair met face-to-face at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in May 2021.
Kate met the five-year-old last year at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh
Lynda told HELLO! last year how welcoming Kate was to her daughter when they met. "I can't put into words how remarkable the Duchess of Cambridge has been," she said.
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"She was so caring and considerate. I got a real sense of her being a mother in the way she spoke to Mila. There were challenges, because of all the Covid restrictions and wearing masks, but she said she wanted to give Mila a big hug."
Mila first underwent intensive chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in November 2019 and only recently got the all-clear from doctors.
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