Sophie Wessex has paid tribute to Dame Deborah James by wearing her charity t-shirt during a Royal engagement abroad
(Picture: Rex Features)Sophie Wessex has paid tribute to Dame Deborah James by wearing one of her Rebellious Hope charity T-shirts as she carried out a Royal engagement in Gibraltar.
The Countess and her husband Prince Edward are on the island at the moment on a royal tour and she was photographed wearing the poignant garment while partaking in surfing with local school children.
The T-shirt was designed by Dame Deborah, 40, to raise money for her Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK which has already topped over £6.5m.
The podcaster, who has stage 4 bowel cancer, launched the apparel last month via online fashion store In The Style and has pledged that 100% of all profits will be going to Cancer Research UK.
In addition to the limited edition T-shirt, she has also been working on her own clothing collection which should launch later this year.
The mum-of-two revealed she had already worn one of the dresses when she met Prince William who personally delivered her damehood to her family home on May 14.
In a post on Instagram, she explained how channelling her creativity into the collection had served as a welcome distraction as she underwent gruelling treatment.
She said: “I cannot tell you guys how this partnership has kept me going through my hospital stays and taken me away from cancer. For years, I always talked about ‘Dressing up to make you feel better’ and over recent months all the ups and downs, being in and out of hospital, dressing up in nice clothes and popping on some Lippy has made a difference to my journey.”
James was originally diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and over the years has kept her thousands of followers updated with candid accounts of her condition and treatment.
The former deputy head teacher recently announced that she has stopped active treatment and she is now receiving hospice-at-home care, unsure of how much longer she has left to live.
