Princess of Wales meets paralysed boy during Three Peaks charity challenge

Catherine, Princess of Wales, met 11-year-old Ted Haslam as he was pushed and carried in his wheelchair through the Three Peaks Challenge. Ted, from Sutton Coldfield, was travelling with his father, Pete Haslam, and 15 friends and relatives while raising money for the children’s charity Molly Ollys.

The group met the princess on each mountain while climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. Pete Haslam said Catherine chatted to Ted, asked how he was doing and was “very motherly” to him, including checking whether he was warm enough and had slept after the first mountain. Ted told BBC Radio WM the moment was “amazing and incredible” when he realised who he had met.

Pete Haslam said the team finished in about 30 hours, missing a 30-hour target by 10 minutes, after wrestling with wet weather, 40mph winds on Scafell Pike and snow on Ben Nevis. The route, which rises to the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales, demanded constant carrying and pushing of Ted’s wheelchair across rough ground.

At age three, Ted was diagnosed with an aggressive spinal tumour that left him paralysed after his legs suddenly stopped working. Molly Ollys had already provided play equipment for him during treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and the family has taken him up mountains before, including Snowdon twice and Ben Nevis last year. His JustGiving page had already passed £11,000 when Catherine made a personal donation after the encounter.

The challenge was part of Catherine’s effort to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Kensington Palace said it was the first time a member of the Royal Family has completed the Three Peaks Challenge. Mountain Rescue supported the princess during the climb. William, Prince of Wales, greeted her at the finish.