BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball has revealed that Prince William sent her a touching letter to share with her dying mum, who was in the hospital battling pancreatic cancer
BBC star Zoe Ball has revealed the touching gesture that Prince William made to her dying mum.
The BBC Radio 2 DJ’s mum Julia Peckham tragically passed away in April 2024 following a gruelling battle with pancreatic cancer.
But as Julia lay in her hospital bed, Zoe was able to read her a touching personal letter from the Prince of Wales himself.
Zoe explained that it brought her mum a great deal of comfort in her final days, and the prince wrote a second letter after her mother passed away.
“Prince William wrote to me when my mum was poorly,” Zoe told co-host Jo Whiley on their Dig It! Podcast.
Zoe explained: “He wrote the most beautiful letter and he wrote to me again after we lost mum. There was a really amazing moment when mum was really, really poorly, and I went up to see her. My brother was there. I said, Mum, we’ve had a letter.”
Zoe continued: “I read her Prince William’s letter. And at the time he was going through his own difficulties with both his father and his lovely wife going through their cancer journey. And I thought it was so kind of him to take the time to write. And it meant the world to her. She loved that letter.”
She added that she had been reminded of William’s moving gesture whilst watching his relaxed interview with Canadian comedy actor Eugene Levy on Apple TV.
Zoe explained the only reason the next-in-line to the throne had agreed to the unprecedented one-to-one was because he was a huge fan of bawdy comedy film American Pie. In honour of her late mum, Zoe is set to appear in a celebrity edition of Deal Or No Deal.
She’ll be joined by a “squad” of showbiz mates including her dad, children’s telly presenter Johnny Ball, her son, DJ Woody Cook, and Sally Boazman who handles the traffic and travel updates on her radio programme.
She told Jo: “It’s lucky because I’ve got Woody and my dad. I’ve got Sally Traffic, I’ve got Ian Waite, my lovely dance partner for Strictly Doing It, and Tina Daheley, that’s my squad. And then I’ve got loads of friends and family.
“We’re doing it for pancreatic cancer and the hospice where my mum was. So I’ve got a few of my mum’s friends coming to do it and stuff like that. It felt like a really nice thing to do.”
Jo responded with envy: “If they ask me, I’ll do it in a heartbeat,” and began speculating about who would be on her team if she were to participate.”