Queen Camilla enjoys girls’ day out at Wimbledon amid Princess Kate’s absence

The Queen enjoyed a girls’ day out with a special guest as she made a surprise appearance at Wimbledon.

Camilla, who turns 77 next week, was joined by her sister, Annabel Elliot, as the pair watched the action on the tenth day of the tennis tournament.

She was joined in the royal box on Centre Court by the King’s nephew, Peter Phillips and his new girlfriend, Harriet Sperling, as well as famous faces, including actress Keira Knightley, racing driver George Russell, ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and politician, William Hague.

Other guests at SW19 on Wednesday included the Princess of Wales’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and the King’s niece, Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike.

It’s not yet known whether Kate, 42, will make an appearance at Wimbledon this year amid her ongoing cancer treatment. She said in a personal message ahead of Trooping the Colour last month that she has “good days and bad days” and that her “treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months”.

However, the All England Club chair Debbie Jevans previously said that organisers are “staying flexible” over who will participate in the trophy presentation if Kate is unable to.

Debbie told Telegraph Sport: “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. 

“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.”

As the Queen arrived at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, she was introduced to individuals on the Players’ Lawn who support The Championships as well as some of those taking part, including Ball Boy, Yug, from Harris Academy Wimbledon and Ball Girl, Natalia, from Burntwood School in Wandsworth.

Camilla told former player Laura Robson, who works in international player relations at Wimbledon, it was “so nice to be able to escape for a day”.

She praised head gardener Martyn Falconer, who has worked at Wimbledon for 25 years and cares for all the plants around the grounds.

“It all looks fantastic. It always looks absolutely perfect,” she told him.

The Queen looked elegant in a cream linen dress featuring large giraffe motifs by Anna Valentine, with a Jack Russell brooch from Van Cleef and Arpels. She previously wore the frock during an official visit to Kenya with the King last November.