Kate Middleton received a standing ovation as she took her seat near center court at Wimbledon Sunday for the men’s final, marking only her second public appearance since revealing her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
On Saturday, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales — a patron of the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the BBC reports — would be on hand to both watch and then deliver the trophy to the winner of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Before taking her seat at the Royal Box at Centre Court for the championship match, Middleton, accompanied by her daughter Princess Charlotte, met with 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu as well as young British tennis players, the Associated Press reported, adding that Middleton wore purple as it is one of the tennis tournament’s official colors.
“Great to be back at Wimbledon!,” Middletown wrote on social media accompanied by photos of her at the tennis match. “There’s nothing quite like The Championships.”
Middleton’s first public appearance since her cancer revelation occurred in June when she attended the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London celebrating the “official” birthday of King Charles III, who is also battling cancer but has since returned to public-facing duties.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” Middleton shared in a statement prior to the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
“On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well. My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months. On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.”
Middleton’s husband Prince William spent Sunday in Berlin in order to watch the Euro 2024 soccer final between England and Spain.
