Kate Middleton received a standing ovation at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and a lip reader has revealed her sweet reaction. The 42-year-old Princess of Wales made a welcome appearance at the annual grand slam as she continues to undergo cancer treatment after her diagnosis in March. She delighted fans as she arrived at the All England Lawn Tennis Club alongside her 9-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, and sister, Pippa Middleton.
Lip reader Jeremy Freeman analyzed the moment Princess Catherine took her seat next to her daughter as Centre Court erupted into applause and cheer. Middleton had asked Charlotte to “come over here” as the pair got to their seats, Freeman told The Sun. She then thanked the lady who had accompanied them in the royal box before turning to the crowd to give a big wave. The royal then said “hi” to fellow spectators before turning to the lady next to her and calling the audience’s reaction to her appearance “so sweet.”
After the match, in which Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets, Princess Catherine presented the trophy to the defending champion and the runner-up. She shook both players’ hands before handing them their hard-earned awards. Her outing comes one month after she joined the royal family for King Charles’ birthday celebrations on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Some Hollywood royalty joined the Princess in the royal box during the match-up. Actress Julia Roberts and her cinematographer husband, Danny Moder, and actors Tom Cruise and Benedict Cumberbatch were all spotted sitting close to the royal.
As patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the future queen — an avid tennis fan in her own right — has made an effort to attend the tournament each year and is often spotted watching matches from the royal box on Centre Court. In previous years, Middleton attended the men’s and women’s finals and presented the winners and runners-up with their trophies. As she showed her support for the annual championships, her husband, Prince William, headed to Berlin, Germany, to cheer on the England Men’s soccer team in their match-up against Spain in the final of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championships.
The Prince of Wales, who is the president of the Football Association, soccer’s governing body in England, also brought Prince George along to the sporting action.