Tony Hudgell’s mother Paula has revealed her son’s adorable reaction whenever he sees his ‘best friend’ Kate Middleton on TV.
The 10-year-old, who had his legs amputated after suffering horrific abuse at the hands of his birth parents, has developed a sweet friendship with the Princess of Wales, 42, over the years.
Tony, who is from Kent, met Kate at the Princess’s Christmas Carol Concert in Westminster Abbey in 2021, and again at the Day Centre at Westminster Hospital in December 2023, where they coloured together.
Both Kate and William have consistently supported Tony’s extensive fundraising efforts and, according to his mother Paula, they always keep ‘up-to-date’ with what he’s doing.
Speaking in a new interview with HELLO! Magazine, Paula revealed her son’s heartwarming reaction whenever he sees the princess on screens.
She said: ‘As Tony grows up, I hope he will know how special he is and the hearts he’s touched, and to be endorsed by the Royal Family in everything he does is so lovely. Now, whenever he sees the Princess on TV he says, “there’s my Kate”.’
She added that Kate has ‘no airs and graces’ when speaking to Tony, and treats her son with ‘pure kindness’.
‘There is just something between Kate and Tony and when she talks to him, she’s like his best friend,’ Paula continued.
‘When we first met her, Tony was tiny with his little legs and straight away she got down on the floor with him so she was at his level. She sits down and does colouring with him and never seems rushed.’
Paula added that Kate even gave her a ‘cuddle’ when they met last year, as she was a bit ’emotional’.
She added that the royal couple always keep up-to-date with whatever Tony’s up to, congratulating him on his fundraising efforts.
Paula, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years ago, revealed William asked her about her chemotherapy treatment when he awarded her with an OBE at Windsor Castle last year.
Tony was rushed to hospital with life changing injuries in 2014 when he was 41-days-old, following horrific abuse from his birth parents, Jody Simpson and Tony Smith. The pair were found guilty of child cruelty in 2018 and are both currently serving a ten-year prison sentence.
In 2017, Tony had both legs amputated due to the injuries he sustained as an infant, and he’s currently learning to walk on prosthetic legs without crutches.
After his incredibly difficult start in life, Tony was adopted by Paula and Mark Hudgell of West Malling, Kent, who have successfully campaigned for longer sentences for anyone who seriously harms a child, and are now calling for a register of abusers in the wake of the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
At Kate’s first Christmas Carol Concert, held in December 2021, the young fundraiser met the Prince and Princess of Wales for the first time and reportedly spent ‘ages’ chatting to them,
His proud parents later tweeted: ‘Tony has no idea of the impact or enormity he holds.
‘[The Prince and Princess of Wales] were truly incredible with him. They chatted to us both for ages. A truly magical evening.’
A sweet image from the event showed William and Kate crouching down to Tony’s eye level to chat to the youngster while his proud mother Paula looked on.
The invite to the concert came after Kate was impressed by Tony’s charity efforts in 2020, when he raised more than £1.5 million for Evelina.
In December last year, he and Kate coloured together at the Westminster Hospital, with Tony shyly admitting afterwards that he found her ‘beautiful’.
Tony has previously been hailed a hero by Prince William and wife Kate over his extraordinary fundraising walks to help vulnerable children.
Tony’s achievements, include raising over £2 million for charity and becoming the youngest person to receive a British Empire Medal from King Charles for his services to the prevention of child abuse.
He set out to raise £500 for the hospital that saved his life by walking 10km in 30 days in 2020 after being inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised more than £33million walking in his backyard.
In 2021, a foundation set up in his name to enhance the lives of children who have been affected by physical, emotional, or psychological abuse provided more than 700 Christmas presents for youngsters in need, and it continued the tradition last Christmas too.
The 10-year-old’s phenomenal fundraising achievements come despite an incredibly tough start to life which led to him undergoing 23 operations and eight blood transfusions.
The horrific abuse he was subject to by his birth parents caused serious injuries – and the infant also developed sepsis because Smith and Simpson waited 10 days before taking him to hospital.
His fortunes turned around after his life was saved by specialists at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, of which the Princess of Wales is an official patron.
Tony has also met Prince Harry along with a string of celebrities and has been singled out for his inspiration by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Despite the attention attention Paula said of Tony: ‘He takes all of it in his stride, so to speak. He is just amazing.
‘He’s very much a people person. He can capture a room of people and will talk to them all.’
In December, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis posted letters to Tony at their mother’s annual Christmas service.
Earlier this year, Tony attended Buckingham Palace for a ‘special’ private tea party with Queen Camilla.
He was ‘over the moon’ in June when he was invited to attend one of King Charles’s garden parties – only to be left bitterly disappointed when he got stuck in traffic on the M20 while making the journey from Maidstone in Kent.
Later that night, he received a consoling word from Palace officials who, in response to the day’s misfortune, promised to conjure up another date, assuring Tony: ‘Leave it with us.’
In July, the Palace were true to their word and an ecstatic Tony joined Queen Camilla for a private tea party in the Summer House.
The Queen awarded a beaming Tony with a British Empire medal for his fundraising efforts and bravery, who said he was ‘very happy’ following the royal afternoon out.
He said: ‘I was supposed to go to a garden party but we got stuck in traffic. My mum put out a tweet. The Queen’s team said ‘so sad that you didn’t make the garden party today.’
