Kate, the Princess of Wales, handed Carlos Alcaraz the champion’s trophy after the Wimbledon men’s final at the All England Club on Sunday in only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.
Kate, the wife of Prince William, who is next in line to the throne, received a warm welcome with a standing ovation when she arrived in the Royal Box at Centre Court to watch Alcaraz’s victory over Novak Djokovic.
After the trophy ceremony on the court, the princess and Alcaraz had a conversation in a room within the tournament’s main stadium. “You played so well,” Kate told him. “Enjoy the win.”
Earlier, Kate, dressed in a purple dress, one of Wimbledon’s official colors, came down from the stands to the court to present the trophies, fulfilling her role as the patron of the All England Club, which hosts the tournament every year.
She greeted some of the ball kids who had worked at the tournament, spoke briefly with both players and applauded Alcaraz after presenting him with the winner’s trophy for the second consecutive year.
“It was a privilege to be in her presence again. I told her it was nice to see her in good health; she seems to be doing well,” Djokovic said at his postmatch news conference. “That’s very positive news for everyone in this country and for Wimbledon.”
Kate and her 9-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, arrived at the site of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament in southwest London in a motorcade about half an hour before the final was scheduled to start.
They visited a terrace at the club connected to the main stadium by a pedestrian walkway and met several people, including 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and other young British tennis players.
Also in the Royal Box for the final were Kate’s sister, Pippa Matthews, actors Tom Cruise and Benedict Cumberbatch, and several past Wimbledon champions, such as Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, and Stefan Edberg.
