The Princess of Wales received a standing ovation at Wimbledon as she attended the women’s final between Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova.
Kate, 43, who is in remission from cancer, took her seat on Centre Court after greeting the six-time singles champion Billie Jean King in the royal box.
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After the match, the princess, who is patron of the club and a tennis player herself, is due to present the trophies to both players.
It is the first time she has attended the women’s final since her cancer diagnosis last year. She watched the last men’s final with Princess Charlotte, then aged nine, and her younger sister, Pippa Matthews, in what was only her second public appearance since announcing her diagnosis.
The princes, 43, arrives at Centre Court with Debbie Jevans, the former Wimbledon competitor who chairs the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
JORDAN PETTITT/PA
She sat in the royal box with Billie Jean King, 81
KIN CHEUNG/AP
It is hoped that Kate will return to Wimbledon on Sunday with the Prince of Wales to watch the men’s final between the Italian world No 1, Jannik Sinner, and the Spanish world No 2, Carlos Alcaraz.
Last month she pulled out of attending Royal Ascot with Prince William at relatively short notice: the carriage lists in the royal procession still featured her name. At the time, royal sources said Kate was “disappointed” to miss the race meeting with the King, Queen and William, but that she was seeking the right balance in her recovery.
Pre-match meet and greet
Before the match on Saturday, Kate, wearing a white skirt suit and her green and purple patron’s ribbon bow, met Wang Ziying, the winner of the ladies wheelchair final who is the first Chinese player to win a wheelchair Grand Slam.
She then spoke to Lydia Lowe, eight, who is representing the Dan Maskell Trust and performed the coin toss for the wheelchair final. The charity supports people with disabilities who play tennis by providing them with specialist equipment and grants.
Lydia suffered a brain injury in January last year, leaving her visually impaired and having to learn to walk, talk and eat again.
With Lydia Lowe, eight
JORDAN PETTITT
Kate also talked to Sophie Kneen, 12, who is on coin toss duty for this afternoon’s final and is part of the Women and Girls Inclusion Project, which is being funded by the Wimbledon Foundation and aims to increase female participation levels and help more women and girls into coaching and leadership roles in sport.
With Sophie Kneen, 12
JORDAN PETTITT/PA
She also met Bob Flint, Wimbledon’s longest-serving honorary steward, as well as Shaniah Williams and Jefferson Iweh from the “Work at Wimbledon” programme, which helps young locals from disadvantaged backgrounds into work at the championships.
With Bob Flint
JORDAN PETTIT/PA
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The princess is gradually returning to public life after undergoing chemotherapy last year for an undisclosed form of cancer.
This month, in her first public engagement since pulling out of Ascot, Kate spoke candidly about the “life-changing” challenges of a cancer diagnosis and putting on a “brave face” after treatment during the journey to recovery, which can still feel “really difficult”.
During a visit to Colchester Hospital, Essex, where she met cancer patients, the princess said of life after treatment: “You’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to. 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’.
Kate visisted the RHS wellbeing garden at Colchester Hospital on July 2
STEFAN ROUSSEAU
“But actually the phase afterwards is really difficult: 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. But it’s life-changing for anyone, through first diagnosis or post treatment and things like that. Itis a life-changing experience both for the patient but also for the families as well. And actually it sometimes goes unrecognised: you don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, appreciate how much impact it is going to have. You have to find your new normal and that takes time … and it’s a rollercoaster. It’s not one smooth plane, which you expect it to be. But the reality is it’s not, you go through hard times.”
During the conversation, one patient told her: “It can be very discombobulating, in that time when you’ve finished active treatment. Your reality has completely changed.”
Kate then spoke of the need for recovery time: “There is this whole phase when you finish your treatment that you, yourself, everybody, expects you, right you’ve finished your time, go, you’re better, and that’s not the case at all.”