The Princess of Wales has made her second public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis, attending an occasionally rowdy Wimbledon men’s final where she was welcomed with a standing ovation.
Catherine, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, presented the men’s singles trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets. The princess attended Sunday’s final with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Matthews.
Before handing Alcaraz the trophy, Catherine spoke to ballboys and ballgirls who lined up around her, and shook Djokovic’s hand.
When she first appeared at Centre Court, which has a seat capacity of nearly 15,000, the princess was greeted with cheers and applause. She was joined in the royal box by a host of A-list celebrities including Tom Cruise, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julia Roberts, Zendaya and the former world No 1 Andre Agassi.
The venue’s genteel atmosphere was broken a few times by loud supporters of both players. On at least one occasion, officials warned spectators to keep quiet and not call out their names.
Towards the end of the match, Djokovic was the target of some boos in the audience and there were more jeers after Alcaraz was asked about the Euros by Annabel Croft, who interviewed him on Centre Court shortly after his win. England is due to play Spain in the football tournament’s final on Sunday evening.
“Now, dare I bring up the football? Where are you going to be watching it?” Croft asked.
“With my team, for sure. I watch it for sure. I’ve already done my job … Now let’s see the football. It’s going to be a really difficult match,” Alcaraz responded, to the seeming approval of the crowd.
Alcaraz told the spectators at Centre Court that winning the trophy, his second consecutive victory at Wimbledon, was a “dream”.
“I did an interview when I was 11 and I said my dream is to win Wimbledon,” he said.
Meeting Alcaraz after the match, the princess said: “This is Charlotte, she was cheering you on. We had everything crossed. We’ve watched you a lot, so it’s nice to finally meet you. You’re playing so well, so well done, enjoy the win.”
Catherine arrived at the tournament in SW19 less than an hour before the final was due to begin on Sunday afternoon. She did not attend the women’s singles final on Saturday, and the Wimbledon chair, Debbie Jevans, presented the trophy to Barbora Krejčíková on her behalf.
Before the men’s final, Catherine and her daughter met Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Lily Miyazaki, Lucy Shuker and Flora Johnson as they arrived on the players’ lawn before entering Centre Court.
Raducanu said it was “amazing” to have the support of the princess and “see her here looking so healthy and happy”. Catherine told Raducanu, who was knocked out in the fourth round of this year’s championships: “It was so hard to see you go out.”
Elsewhere in the tournament, the British player Alfie Hewitt beat Martín de la Puente in the men’s wheelchair singles final and, partnered with fellow Briton Gordon Reid, also won in the wheelchair doubles.
The princess has been undergoing chemotherapy and made her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis in March at the trooping the colour ceremony in London last month.
Prince William was due to be in Berlin later on Sunday, as president of the Football Association, to attend England’s Euro 2024 final against Spain. Some spectators at Wimbledon could be seen wearing white England football shirts at the championships on Sunday morning.
