Every year, without fail, Kate Middleton can be counted on to appear at Wimbledon, the famed grass-court tournament that takes place at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Before this year, she only missed it once as a working royal—in 2013, when she was about to give birth to Prince George. This year, however, her attendance was up in the air, and looking unlikely, as she continues to receive cancer treatment.
However, today, at the men's finals between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the Princess of Wales made a rare appearance, joined by her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Middleton. She was pictured arriving in a purple Safiyaa dress, with a dark green and purple bow pinned to it—denoting her role as patron. It's expected she'll be around after the match to present the trophies to the winner and runner-up.
Before Wimbledon, All England Club chair Debbie Jevans revealed to Telegraph Sport that the tournament was hopeful that Kate would attend. "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. "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." Yesterday, Kate did not attend the women's finals, and so Jevans was on hand to present the trophy to winner Barbora Krejčíková and runner-up Jasmine Paolini.
Today's outing to Wimbledon marks Kate's second appearance of 2024. The Princess attended Trooping the Colour in June, but at the time, the Palace noted her appearance does not indicate a return to royal duties. Kate wrote in a personal letter released in June that she hopes "to join a few public engagements over the summer," but is "not out of the woods yet."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
