The Princess of Wales facilitated a young patient's wish to appear on the BBC's children's news program, "Newsround," following a visit to Evelina Children's Hospital in London earlier this week.
Ejran, a 10-year-old boy with a serious cardiac condition, met the princess during her visit on Monday. He had been waiting in a hospital corridor to see her. After their encounter, Ejran expressed a desire for his meeting with the princess to be featured on "Newsround." Kensington Palace subsequently worked with the program to make this happen.
A reporter from "Newsround" visited Ejran in the hospital and brought him a special message from the princess. Kensington Palace stated that the princess was "delighted" to have met him and "looks forward to being updated on his progress."
Ejran, who has a congenital heart defect requiring multiple surgeries, has been hospitalized for the past month. He has been missing his friends from Hillingdon Primary School.
During their conversation, Ejran asked the princess if she was the Queen. She replied, "No, I am the Princess of Wales." When told Ejran had written a poem about Shrek, she expressed her children's love for the character and suggested he send her a copy so she could write back. Her private secretary later gave Ejran's father a business card to facilitate this.
Ejran described the encounter as "amazing" and jokingly said he wanted to meet the King next. After receiving a video of their meeting from the Daily Mail, he reiterated his wish to be on "Newsround."
The princess, who has been patron of the Evelina since 2018, also visited other children at the hospital. Among them was three-year-old Arjun, who has experienced serious heart problems since birth, and 14-year-old Hope Turnbull, who had recently suffered a relapse of heart issues. The princess spoke with the children and their families, offering words of comfort and encouragement.
Catherine wore a cream dress from Suzannah London for the visit. She also wore her engagement ring and a friendship bracelet made by Princess Charlotte. The visit aimed to highlight the work of Evelina London Children's Hospital, which is planning a new building and fundraising for the project.