Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, received a standing ovation upon her arrival at the Wimbledon Championships on Sunday, marking a rare public appearance since her cancer diagnosis and abdominal surgery earlier this year.
Wearing a bright purple dress, she was accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte and her sister Pippa Matthews. The senior royal took her place in the Royal Box to watch the men’s tennis singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, a repeat of last year’s championship between the Spaniard Alcaraz and Serbia’s Djokovic.
The Kensington Palace account posted on X, saying, “Great to be back at Wimbledon! There’s nothing quite like The Championships,” alongside images of the Princess of Wales meeting players. Princess Kate, 42, arrived less than an hour before the final and met players, including Britain’s Emma Raducanu.
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A wonderful Centre Court welcome for our Patron HRH The Princess of Wales 💜#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/HGcphka27P
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2024
This was the Princess of Wales’ second official public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis and undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
Her first appearance was at King Charles III’s annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, where she joined the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the customary photograph. This event came after her abdominal surgery earlier in the year and her social media announcement of her cancer diagnosis in March.
As the Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, Kate presented the Wimbledon trophy to the winner Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Novak Djokovic in three sets.