Kate Middleton Returns To Royal Duty? Princess Of Wales Receives Standing Ovation At Wimbledon Finals: 'Great To Be Back'
Kate Middleton returned to her royal duties over the weekend by attending Wimbledon 2024.
Many had anticipated the Princess of Wales' attendance at the annual event. She has been the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club since 2016 and is a regular at the Wimbledon finals.
Middleton arrived at Centre Court with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, 9, and sister, Pippa Middleton, for the men's singles final on Sunday. The royal mother of three looked stunning in her purple dress. Princess Charlotte was charming in her polka-dot dress.
Middleton received a standing ovation when she arrived in the Royal Box and made her way to her seat. The mother and daughter were welcomed by several British tennis players, including Emma Raducanu, CNN reported.
Middleton presented the trophy to the Spanish reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz after he beat veteran Novak Djokovic. Before passing the trophy to the champion, Middleton shook hands with Djokovic, the Daily Mail reported.
Kensington Palace shared several photos of Middleton and Princess Charlotte from the event on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram. The Duchess of Cambridge, who announced her cancer diagnosis in March, was reportedly pleased to be at the event.
"Great to be back at @Wimbledon! There's nothing quite like The Championships," the caption read.
The post was flooded with reactions from royal fans who were pleased to see Middleton at Wimbledon. It was her second public outing after she publicized her cancer battle.
Middleton returned to the spotlight in June when she joined King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and their kids -- Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 -- on the balcony for Trooping the Colour.
"It's wonderful to see you back, Catherine! Looking beautiful as always," one fan commented at the time.
Another added, "Great to have you back. Enjoy the day, and it's great to see the PoW and Princess Charolette [sic]. We hope to see more of everyone this fall."
"It's so lovely to see you back, Princess Catherine. Looking elegant and graceful in purple and Princess Charlotte looking lovely as always a joy to see ... Enjoy your mum & daughter day out on this summer's day," a different commenter opined.
Richard Eden, editor for Daily Mail Diary, Eden Confidential and Palace Confidential, previously said that the future queen's attendance at the event had been taken for granted in the past years, but many, including the Sussex Squad, wanted to see her this year for different reasons.
"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," he wrote.
"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."
