Princess Kate wows crowd with eagerly anticipated appearance at Wimbledon
The Princess of Wales has dazzled the crowd at the Wimbledon men’s finals in a much hoped for appearance, and was seated alongside an Australian tennis legend.
World
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Princess Kate arrived at Wimbledon with a wave to the crowds as she made her way to her seat in the Royal Box ahead of the men’s Grand Slam final.
The future queen was joined by her daughter, nine-year-old Princess Charlotte, with the pair sitting directly in front of Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt and his Home and Away star wife Bec.
The Hewitts’ appearance comes the day after fellow Australian Hugh Jackman was given the honour of a seat in the Royal Box.
The Princess of Wales watched the nailbiting match between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic before presenting the men with their trophies. She also thanked the ballboys and ballgirls, shaking their hands.
Defending champion Alcaraz beat seven-time winner Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster final, with Alcaraz winning 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.
Kate was joined by her sister Pippa Matthews to the delight of little Charlotte who was seen giggling and chatting to her aunt.
The lengthy match was a bit much for the young princess who was spotted scratching her nose at one point.
Actor Julia Roberts and her husband Danny Moder were guests of the Royal Box too, looking serious during the game.
Elsewhere in the crowd, Spider-Man star Zendaya was also enjoying the match.
Kate, 42, has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club since 2016 when she took over the honour from her grandmother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth.
The dark green and purple bow pinned to Kate’s chest is a nod to the official colours of the club.
Neither Prince George nor Prince Louis were with their mother, suggesting one or both of them may be tagging along with Prince William who is attending the Euros final in Berlin.
Prior to the Wimbledon men’s finals match, Kate and Charlotte stopped to chat to female players.
Princess Charlotte was wearing a navy frock with white polka dots, her hair adorably tied back with a matching bow.
Princess Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton have sat in the Royal Box earlier in the tournament as did William’s cousin Princess Beatrice.
There had been high hopes since the commencement of Wimbledon that Kate would make an appearance but Kensington Palace only officially announced it was happening at the eleventh hour.
Earlier this week the Princess of Wales took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to pay tribute to tennis great Andy Murray.
“An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud Andy Murray. On behalf of all of us, thank you! C,” Kate wrote.
Royal watchers were thrilled to see Kate smiling and with colour in her cheeks for the second time in as many months following her appearance at Trooping the Colour in June.
However, the palace has made clear that while Kate will attend events when she feels well, she has not officially returned to work.
Other famous faces in the crowd at Wimbledon for the men’s final included Tom Cruise who was also a guest of the Royal Box.