NEED TO KNOW

  • Kate Middleton’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, attended Wimbledon on July 7
  • The Princess of Wales’ parents watched the tournament from the Royal Box, where Carole and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, warmly greeted one another
  • Carole and Michael stepped out days after Princess Kate spoke candidly about her cancer recovery while visiting a hospital last week

Kate Middleton‘s parents are back in the stands at Wimbledon after the Princess of Wales emotionally spoke about the “really, really difficult” phase after cancer treatment.

On July 7, Carole and Michael Middleton attended the eighth day of the tennis tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, continuing a summer tradition. Princess Kate’s parents are frequent fixtures at the sporting event and attend most years, just like their daughter, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Carole, 70, and Michael, 76, stepped out in sync and took a seat in the Royal Box at Centre Court, where Carole’s brown and white striped shirt dress called back to a lookalike top Kate wore last week. The Princess of Wales, 43, wore a similar striped button-down shirt with a beige blazer, brown pants and sneakers to visit Colchester Hospital on July 2, where she toured the medical center’s Wellbeing Garden and spoke about the challenges she encountered after undergoing treatment for cancer.

Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton at Wimbledon on July 7, 2025.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult,” Princess Kate said then. “You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to.”

“You have to find your new normal, and that takes time…and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be. But the reality is you go through hard times,” she added. 

Kate Middleton at Colchester Hospital on July 2, 2025.

STEFAN ROUSSEAU/POOL/AFP via Getty 

The Princess of Wales announced in March 2024 that she was receiving cancer treatment and reduced her royal duties to focus on her health. Princess Kate said in September that she completed chemotherapy treatment and shared in January that she is in remission.

The royal has resumed a more regular schedule of public events since but is pacing herself as she returns to royal work. Kate’s absence at Royal Ascot with Prince William on June 18 made waves, which PEOPLE understands was due to an inaccurate carriage list mistakenly initially issued by Ascot.

“She’s being sensible, listening to what her body is telling her and easing back into public life,” Queen Elizabeth’s former spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson recently told PEOPLE about Kate’s outlook now. 

Princess Kate has yet to appear at the Wimbledon championships this year, which run from June 30 to July 13. Her parents seemed to enjoy themselves during the day out, where they smiled in the stands.

Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton at Wimbledon on July 7, 2025.

Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty

Cameras also caught a sweet exchange between Carole and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, as they warmly greeted one another with a hug and kiss. The Duchess of Gloucester, 79, is married to King Charles‘ cousin Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, and is a full-time working royal. 

Like Princess Kate, Wimbledon seems to be a staple on Birgitte’s summer schedule, and she attended the tournament on Monday in her role as Honorary President of the Lawn Tennis Association. 

Carole Middleton and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester greet one another at Wimbledon on July 7, 2025.

Karwai Tang/WireImage (2)

The Duchess of Gloucester took a seat in a particularly starry front row of the Royal Box on Monday, where she sat next to Mirka Federer and tennis legend Roger Federer at one point of the competition.

Following an apparent reshuffling of seats, Birgitte also sat next to Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, who was photographed near King Frederik of Denmark.

While the royals often watch Wimbledon from the Royal Box, the suite isn’t exclusively reserved for royalty. Royal Box invites for Wimbledon come from the Chair of the All England Club, with royals from around the world, government heads, figures from the tennis world, supporters of British tennis and more walks of life invited. 

King Frederik, Annabelle Galletley and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh at Wimbledon on July 7, 2025.

Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty

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Royal watchers expect to see Princess Kate attend Wimbledon this year, as the royal (an avid tennis player herself!) has attended the Grand Slam competition almost every year since marrying Prince William in 2011.

Queen Elizabeth made Kate the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2016, and Wimbledon was one of the few public events she attended last year after announcing that she was receiving cancer treatment.