Tony Hudgell will have a Christmas to remember this year.

Not only has the seven-year-old from Kings Hill, who suffered horrendous abuse at the hands of his natural parents, just had a new law named after him, but he has also been invited to a carol concert with royalty.

Tony, known to his adoptive parents Paula and Mark Hudgell as Bear, received a personal invitation from Catherine, the Duchess Of Cambridge, to join her at a service in Westminster Abbey tomorrow.

It is not the first time Catherine has written to Tony. Back in August 2020 she sent him a letter of support for his charity walk in aid of the Evelina Children's Hospital, where he had been treated as a baby.

Tony, who had to have both his legs amputated as a result of the abuse he received as a baby, has since won universal admiration not only for the determination he has shown in overcoming his own adversities, but also in his many charity events in which he has sought to help others, raising more than £1.5 million.

His new mum, Paula Hudgell, said: "Tony is so excited about the concert and really looking forward to it."

Under Tony's Law, those found guilty of the serious physical harm of a child would see their jail term increased from 10 to 14 years – and life where the abuse leads to death.

Tony's own abusers, Jody Simpson and Antony Smith, were both sent to prison for 10 years in 2018, the maximum sentence then available.

Tony, a pupil at The Discovery School in Kings Hill, was left fighting for his life after he sustained several fractures that led to sepsis and toxic shock syndrome when he was just 41 days old.