Sussex Squad Is Waiting For Kate Middleton's Wimbledon Comeback To 'Prove' She's Not Sick, Royal Expert Claims
Kate Middleton hasn't shown up at Wimbledon this year, but many are hoping to see her at the tennis tournament, including the Sussex Squad, according to a royal expert.
Richard Eden, editor for Daily Mail Diary, Eden Confidential and Palace Confidential, weighed in on the Princess of Wales' anticipated attendance at Wimbledon. Middleton is a self-proclaimed fan of the tournament and a tennis enthusiast. The royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club usually attends the annual tournament, but she hasn't graced this year's event with her presence yet. According to Eden, the royal fans and Sussex Squad are waiting to see her at the event for different reasons.
Per Eden, Middleton's attendance in the previous years had been taken for granted. She has even become "synonymous with Wimbledon as strawberries and cream." But this year, many are looking forward to seeing her, despite her announcement in March that she was diagnosed with cancer. Middleton has been undergoing preventive chemotherapy.
"So it's little surprise that fans are in a fever of anticipation about whether Catherine might make the Wimbledon finals," Eden wrote.
"But the speculation has, almost inevitably, led to a rash of unkind comments from the so-called Sussex Squad, those obsessive online fans of Prince Harry and Meghan who revel in criticising other members of the Royal Family. Their main point is that Catherine should not attend a sports event when she has been unable to carry out more serious public engagements."
Eden added, "They claim, without any evidence, that it would 'prove' she hadn't been sick at all. This is the sort of deeply unpleasant trolling that the princess -- just like other royals - has to put up with on a daily basis."
It remains unclear whether Middleton will watch the Wimbledon final. She previously said in a statement released before her Trooping the Colour attendance that she was "making progress," but "there are good days and bad days." She also announced that she hoped to "join a few public engagements over the summer" while noting that she was "not out of the woods yet."
Meanwhile, Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's former royal butler, believes that Middleton wants to attend the event because she's a "huge tennis fan." However, Burrell said that Prince William has the last say.
"William controls this household, and William will decide whether she's well enough to do this because he's the one that protects the family -- fiercely," Burrell said, per The Sun. "There's no way he's going to subject Kate to intrusion that she can't handle."
