The Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball revealed that the Prince of Wales sent her late mother a letter during the last few weeks of her life. Zoe's mum, Julia, died in April 2024, aged 74, after being diagnosed with cancer. Speaking to Jo Whiley on their Dig It! podcast, Zoe said: 'Prince William wrote to me when my mum was poorly. 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.' "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."
© InstagramZoe added Prince William sent another letter after Julia died. The BBC Radio star was reminded of the prince's kind gesture after watching his interview with comedy actor Eugene Levy on Apple TV. The radio host had previously spoken of forming a close relationship with her mother, after 14 years of estrangement. Zoe was two when her parents divorced, and she was raised by her dad, the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball, and her stepmother Di.
Announcing news of her mother's death earlier this year, she wrote: "Sleep tight dear Mama. Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts. We are bereft without you but will hold so tight to each other. Your grace & your smile that lit up every room you were in, will light the stars to guide us." The words were written alongside a beautiful photo of a young Julia, sitting on a bridge. The likeness to her daughter Zoe is uncanny in the image.
