Princess Kate Signs Off a Personal Donation to a Paralyzed Boy While Using an Unexpected Name

Princess Kate completed the National Three Peaks Challenge over the weekend, climbing more than 10,000 feet and walking 23 miles on behalf of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. During her trek, she ran into 11-year-old Ted Haslem, who has been paralysed since the age of three. Haslem was carried up the three mountains in his wheelchair by a group of friends and family—and fans who viewed the tween’s JustGiving page spotted a very familiar name in the roster of top donations.

Haslem completed the challenge to raise money for Molly Olly’s Wishes, a charity that has supported Ted and other children with serious illnesses. After meeting Ted and his group during the challenge, the Princess of Wales made a personal donation using the name “Catherine Wales.”

“One of the real highlights of the Three Peaks Challenge was meeting inspiring people like you along the way,” she wrote on the JustGiving page. “Huge congratulations to the entire team for raising money for such a wonderful cause. C.”

Haslem and his dad, Pete, made an appearance on Britain's This Morning program, and Ted beamed as he shared the story of his encounter with the Princess of Wales. "I would have just walked past her, to be honest," Pete said, describing the princess as looking like "another hiker."

“The reason why it happened, she wanted to speak to us,” Pete said. “She initiated the conversation. You know, seeing a kid being dragged around the mountain so to speak with 16 burly blokes, she wanted to see how we were doing.”

Ted shared that he’s met Prince William and Prince George at an Aston Villa match before, and said he told the Princess of Wales, “Well at first we said, ‘I think we know your husband, because we met your husband at the Villa.’”

Hilariously, the 11-year-old added, “But the funny thing, she realized who I was, but I didn’t realize who she was.” His dad added, “It took a while for the penny to drop, didn’t it, Ted?”