Princess Kate appears in the Royal Box to cheering crowds for Wimbledon women’s final

Princess Kate has returned to Wimbledon and received an extraordinary response from the crowd after revealing details of her “rollercoaster” recovery.

Kate Middleton has received a warm and enthusiastic welcome at Wimbledon as the crowd erupted with a massive cheer and a standing ovation as she took her seat in the Royal Box for the women’s singles final on Saturday.

The beaming Princess of Wales, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, looked classy in a white belted blazer-style and cream pleated skirt, The Sun reports.

Kate also donned a Wimbledon purple and green bow on the left-hand side of her top.

She briefly greeted American ace Martina Navratilova, 68, as she walked along the first row of the VIP seating section.

Tennis legend and six-time Wimbledon winner Billie Jean King, 81, then curtsied to the royal before the pair shook hands.

As she accepted the cheers from the packed 15,000 crowd, Kate smiled and waved twice – prompting another huge cheer.

Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales waves from the Royal Box on Centre Court ahead of the women's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales sits next to tennis legend Billie Jean King. Picture: AP /Kin Cheung.

She sat down as both Swiatek and Anisimova prepared to make their entrance to the court.

The Women’s Singles final saw a showdown between American Amanda Anisimova, 23, and Pole Iga Swiatek, 24 — neither of whom had won in West London before.

Kate later handed the trophy to winner, Swiatek, and consoled Anisimova, after she lost 6-0, 6-0 during a game that lasted less than an hour.

Traditionally, avid tennis fan Kate watches a number of matches in the Royal Box and later present champions with their trophies at the end of the tournament.

Hundreds of spectators gathered in and around the grounds to try and catch a glimpse of the Princess as she entered Wimbledon.

She took part in a special ceremony before moving to the best seat in the house to watch the ladies’ final, which was tipped to be an all-time classic.

Earlier, the Princess first spoke with women’s wheelchair tennis champion Wang Ziying – only moments after she won her final in straight sets.

Kate then had a lengthy chat with eight-year-old inspiration Lydia Lowe, who is representing the Dan Maskell Trust and was given the honour of doing the coin toss for the wheelchair final on Court No.1.

She also talked with Sophie Kneen, 12, before the coin toss for the women’s final, ball boys and girls, and honorary stewards. The Princess, 43, then crossed the bridge, where she flashed a smile and a wave to hundreds of fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse.

Kate was guided around the grounds by All England Club chairwoman Debbie Jevans, who is a former professional player.

She shook hands with each member of the greeting party and had a brief chat about their time at the tournament so far.

The Princess of Wales arrives in the Royal Box on Centre Court ahead of the women's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 12, 2025. Picture: AP /Kin Cheung.

Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales received a standing ovation as she arrived. Picture: AP /Dave Shopland.

The Princess of Wales and 15,000 fans on Centre Court battled scorching temperatures of up to 31 degrees as the third heatwave of the summer baked Britain.

Several fans have passed out in the stands during the tournament, though bosses have rejected calls to close the Centre Court roof and turn on the airconditioning during severe temperatures.

Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales greets tennis legend Martina Navratilova in the Royal Box on Centre Court. Picture: Kin Cheung.

Alongside the princess in the Royal Box was Barbie mastermind Greta Gerwig, Mo Farrah, Stanley Tucci and Billie Jean King.

Also present was Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Labour’s Lisa Nandy.

Kate’s mother-in-law Queen Camilla was also back at Wimbledon on Wednesday to watch her favourite player Novak Djokovic in action.

Princess Kate has rarely missed attending Wimbledon since marrying Prince William.

She did skip the championships in 2013 – and missed Andy Murray’s first Wimbledon victory – but this was due to her being heavily pregnant with Prince George at the time.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Princess Kate appears in the Royal Box to cheering crowds for Wimbledon women’s final