Canadian girl battling cancer whose dream came true when she met Kate Middleton dies

The young Canadian girl battling cancer who had her dreams come true when she met and hugged Kate Middleton in 2011 died Monday, the Calgary Sun reported.

Diamond Marshall, 9, had osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. A spokesperson from Buckingham Palace said Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were notified of the news during their tour of New York.

“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were sad to learn this news,” a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said.

Diamond, who watched the royal couple’s wedding from her hospital bed, said it was her dream to meet a real princess, according to the report.

Shortly after meeting the Duke and Duchess, Diamond’s cancer went into remission. Kate and Will sent her a congratulatory note before Christmas that same year. But the cancer returned last month, and doctors told her family that it was terminal.

Her aunt told the Calgary Sun that while there were sad moments during Diamond’s last few weeks, her time mostly focused on fun. Diamond made her First Communion, and was treated to an NHL game in the Calgary Flames official team box.

The family also took time to prepare the her for what was ahead.

“They explained to her she was going to meet her mom on the other side,” Melanie Jimmy, Diamond’s aunt, told the Calgary Sun. Diamond’s mother, Memory, died of cancer when she was 2.

“Diamond showed a lot of interest in Memory over the past couple of weeks – her mom made a lot of videos for her before she passed away, and Diamond watched those, and she had lots of questions,” Melanie said.

Diamond’s family praised her courage in a statement regarding her passing issued Tuesday.

“We are incredibly saddened, yet relieved that Diamond is no longer suffering,” the statement said.