Novak Djokovic and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz’s Sunday rematch in the Wimbledon men’s singles final had a royal witness.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, presented the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy. It was just her second public appearance since announcing in March that she was undergoing cancer treatment. The crowd applauded for Catherine as she walked to the royal box ahead of the match with her daughter, Princess Charlotte.
Since 2016, the princess still widely known as Kate Middleton has been the royal patron of the All England Club, palace spokesperson Annabelle Miles said. As part of her duties, she typically presents the trophy to the winners of the men’s and women’s singles finals.
She did not, however, attend Saturday’s final, in which Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for her second Grand Slam title. Instead, All England Club Chairwoman Deborah Jevans presented the Venus Rosewater Dish to Krejcikova — fulfilling a request from Catherine, according to an unsigned statement from the club’s media department.
The March announcement ended months of speculation about the princess’s health after she took time away from the public following major abdominal surgery in January.
Catherine, 42, said in a news release last month that chemotherapy and other care would continue for a few more months and that she has “good days and bad days.”
King Charles III, Catherine’s father-in-law, was also diagnosed with cancer this year, and his official birthday parade was her first public appearance since her announcement. Neither royal family member has disclosed what type of cancer they have.
Catherine’s mother and father, Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton, attended Djokovic’s second-round match against Jacob Fearnley on July 4. On Friday, her sister Pippa Middleton watched Djokovic defeat Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals, a match that set up the victor for his rematch with Alcaraz, the defending champion.
Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff contributed to this report.
