Tennis
Kate Middleton to Attend Men’s Singles Final at Wimbledon as She Continues Her Recovery
Kate Middleton will be in the Royal Box at Wimbledon this year.
The Princess of Wales, 42, is set to attend the men’s singles final at Wimbledon on Sunday, July 14, Kensington Palace has confirmed.
However, she will not be in attendance to see the women’s champion crowned on Saturday, July 13 at the famed tennis tournament, which is held at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
Princess Kate, 42, has stepped out at Wimbledon most years since marrying Prince William and traditionally hands out the award to the winner in her role as the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. She has only made one public appearance with the royal family in 2024 as she continues her cancer treatment largely out of the public eye.
All England Club chair Debbie Jevans told Telegraph Sport in June that they would give the Princess of Wales “as much flexibility as possible” regarding whether she would hand out the trophies, with the outlet reporting that the decision may not be made until the morning of the match.
“We’re hopeful that the Princess of Wales will be able to present the trophies as the Club’s patron, but her health and recovery is the priority,” Jevans said in a piece published on June 27. “We don’t know what we don’t know. All we’ve said is that we’ll work with her and give her as much flexibility as possible.”
Queen Elizabeth passed the role of patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to her sporty granddaughter-in-law in 2016. Princess Kate last stepped onto Centre Court to hand out the trophies in 2023. Prince George and Princess Charlotte (in her Wimbledon debut!) watched from the Royal Box as their mother handed over the prize to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz after he defeated Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
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After undergoing abdominal surgery in January, Princess Kate revealed in March that post-operative tests found cancer and that she was undergoing chemotherapy. She requested “time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment” but made her first public outing with the royals since Christmas at King Charles’ birthday parade on June 15. However, palace aides emphasized that the outing did not signal a return to public life, and no date is set for when she will fully return to work.