Kate Middleton’s biggest fan might be her daughter, Princess Charlotte.
The Princess of Wales, 42, stepped out at Wimbledon on July 14, marking a rare public outing as she continues cancer treatment. Accompanied by 9-year-old Charlotte, the two princesses met people associated with the event before heading to the Royal Box at Centre Court to watch the men’s singles final, a repeat of last year’s championship matchup between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Rounding out the girls’ day out at Wimbledon was Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton.
As they took their seats in the front row of the Royal Box, the crowd rose to their feet, giving Princess Kate a standing ovation. Princess Charlotte beamed with pride at her mom, who waved with a smile, visibly moved. The applause resonated deeply, marking a rare and emotional public appearance for Kate amid her cancer treatment.
Karwai Tang, the photographer who captured the sweet moment, tells PEOPLE: “When [Kate] usually comes in, she walks down the steps and into her seat. She doesn’t normally stand and wave. But she stood for a while and took it all in. For her to acknowledge it and take in the applause was special.”
“She seemed to look no different from the last Wimbledon. It felt like she is back,” he adds. “For them to cheer and clap when they came in was a great support for her. Wimbledon had been waiting with bated breath for her to return and she was back.”
Tang also captured another touching moment between the mother and daughter after Charlotte and Pippa came back to their seats after taking a break from the match.
“[Charlotte] skipped down the stairs and when she got back to her seat — she was laughing. She leaned over and must have told her mom what it was about and they were giggling together and having a good old laugh,” he says.
READ: William And Kate Share New Photo Of Charlotte And Louis Watching Euro 2024 Final
Of the family outing, Tang says, “You can tell that all three of them were enjoying themselves — Charlotte is following the game like her mother. You can see their excitement.”
While Princess Kate sported a purple dress by Safiyaa that matched her bow tie pin representing her role with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Princess Charlotte wore a polka dot blue dress with her hair in her signature style: a half-up ‘do with two braids pinned back with a bow.
Princess Kate and Prince William are regulars at Wimbledon, and in recent years, they’ve started to introduce their children to the sporty staple of their summer calendar.
Princess Charlotte’s outing at Wimbledon marks her second time attending the tennis tournament. Princess Charlotte joined her parents and big brother, Prince George, for her Wimbledon debut last year, sporting stylish sunglasses as she cheered on Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Djokovic in a thrilling match.
Prince George has also attended the event twice, in 2022 (where he got the chance to hold Djokovic’s first-place trophy!) and 2023.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s little brother, 6-year-old Prince Louis, has yet to make his Wimbledon debut. The reason may be that he’s simply too young — both of Louis’ royal siblings were 8 when they attended the athletic event for the first time.
The Royal Box at Centre Court is typically off-limits to kids given the high demand for a spot in the 74-seat area, but exceptions are made for royal children.
Prince William skipped this year’s Wimbledon finals as he headed to Germany for another sporting event. The Prince of Wales, 42, is set to support England’s soccer team as they take on Spain in the Euro 2024 championship game in his role as president of the Football Association.
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