Prince William met fashion royalty when he was greeted by Ralph Lauren at the opening a new cancer research unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea.
The Duke of Cambridge met the legendary designer Ralph Lauren at the opening of the hospital’s Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research.
The centre was paid for by supporters of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity , including a generous donation from Ralph Lauren. It has been redeveloped to provide a world class facility for breast cancer research, staffed by a team of world-renowned clinicians and scientists working with the latest in cancer research technology.
The famous fashionista said his involvement with the hospital began two years ago when his friend Princess Diana was its president.
Now it is a title carried by her son, who was shown some of the state-of-the-art facilities during his visit on May 17.
The designer and philanthropist said: “After more than 20 years of a commitment to The Royal Marsden, I am so proud to officially support their world-renowned research through the establishment of the Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research.
"Together we will make cancer research a reality by bringing it directly to patients around the world and the hope that we will find a cure in our lifetime.
Great honour and pleasure
“My personal connection with The Royal Marsden goes back to my friendship with Princess Diana when she was its president in 1996. It is a great honour and pleasure to move forward in this fight against breast cancer with her son, HRH The Duke of Cambridge who has taken over this role.
"I am inspired by his dedication and together I hope our efforts can help save lives affected by this disease.”
The head of the new unit, Professor Mitch Dowsett, said: “It was a privilege to show HRH The Duke of Cambridge around our new centre. He showed great interest in breast cancer research and the work that we do here.”
And hospital chief executive Cally Palmer said: “We were delighted to welcome our President back to the hospital in Chelsea today to open The Ralph Lauren Centre for Breast Cancer Research. As always, we are very grateful for the Duke’s continued support for our patients and for the work we do at The Royal Marsden.’
“Through the very generous donations from supporters of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Ralph Lauren, we have a centre developed to the highest specification, providing world class breast cancer research, staffed by a team of world-renowned clinicians and scientists working with the latest cancer research technology. It sets a benchmark for global cancer research .”
