Upon her arrival at the Wimbledon Championships on Sunday, Britain’s Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, was met with a standing ovation. This was her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis and abdominal surgery earlier this year.
Great to be back at @Wimbledon!
There’s nothing quite like The Championships 🎾 pic.twitter.com/uFkI6baNfL
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 14, 2024
Watching the Men’s Final
The older royal, a tennis player and enthusiast watched the men’s tennis singles final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic from the Royal Box with her sister Pippa Matthews and nine-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte. As the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s Patron since 2016, she will give this year’s Grand Slam winner the coveted Wimbledon trophy.
Wonderful to return to Wimbledon! Her official Kensington Palace account shared pictures of the Princess of Wales greeting players on X, stating that there is nothing quite like The Championships. Less than an hour before the Sunday afternoon final was scheduled to start, Princess Kate, 42, came and greeted players, including Emma Raducanu of Britain.
Engaging with the Crowd
Throughout the game, she talked to her daughter sporadically while grinning widely and waving to the spectators. As was to be expected, several celebrities, including actors Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Zendaya, Jamie Dornan and his wife Amelia Warner, and Benedict Cumberbatch, were also present at the Wimbledon final and in the Royal Box with the royal family.
This is the princess’s second formal public appearance since she disclosed that she was receiving prophylactic chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. She joined her father-in-law, husband Prince William, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the traditional picture at King Charles III’s yearly birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, last month.
Health Update and Royal Duties
Following stomach surgery earlier in the year and her March social media disclosure of a diagnosis of an unidentified form of cancer, it was her first official royal engagement. She made it clear in a statement before the appearance in early June that she intends to take things slowly to give her body time to recover.
There are good days and bad days, as anyone undergoing chemotherapy would attest to, she noted at the time. Her treatment is ongoing and will last for a few more months. “I’m getting better at having patience, especially when something is unclear. embracing each day as it comes, paying attention to my health, and permitting myself to use this crucial time for healing.”
Supporting England Football
The 42-year-old Prince of Wales, who serves as President of the Football Association (FA), has been supporting the England football team—also known as the Three Lions—during the competition, which saw them advance to their first-ever Euros final away from home earlier this week.