A heat wave at this year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament has led to fans collapsing under the blazing sun and a shortage of water. But Kate Middleton looked cool as a cucumber when she arrived at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Saturday, despite the high temperatures. The Princess of Wales took a seat in the royal box next to a King—but not the one you’d expect, though Middleton’s seatmates were arguably tennis royalty.
Instead of King Charles III (who, Town and Country notes, has only attended Wimbledon twice, in 1970 and 2012), Kate Middleton was seated next to Billie Jean King, the tennis champ turned author who racked up 20 career titles at Wimbledon during her career (six in singles, 10 in women’s doubles, and four in mixed doubles). To Middleton’s right was Martina Navratilova, whose nine women’s singles wins remain an all-time record.
The women chatted and cheered during the women’s singles final between Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek and American Amanda Anisimova. Unlike some other spectators seated in the Royal Box this week, they appeared awake throughout.
Middleton appeared visibly moved when greeted with a standing ovation as she stepped into the Royal Box. A video of the entrance was posted to social media by Wimbledon’s official account with the caption “Centre Court rises to give a warm welcome to our Patron HRH The Princess of Wales,” a tough word choice given the high-profile issues this year’s competition has suffered due to the warmth.
The sentimentality is understandable, though. It was just last year that Middleton chose Wimbledon as one of her first public appearances following her cancer diagnosis, before retreating from the spotlight for much of 2024. Middleton, who is also known as an amateur ace, has been the patron of the All England Club since 2016—so the event has long been a priority on her schedule.
At the conclusion of the match, during which Swiatek defeated Anisimova 6-0, 6-0, Middleton presented the winner with the Venus Rosewater Dish, which since 1886 has been presented to the winner of that year’s women’s singles event. By then, the temperature was even higher, prompting renewed calls for the main court’s roofs to be retracted. But as of Saturday, the Club was still open to the skies—and the Princess remained as fresh as a daisy.
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