Princess Kate Middleton will step out at Wimbledon this year amid her cancer battle.
Kensington Palace confirmed on Saturday, July 13, that Kate, 42, will be present at the men’s final match on Sunday, July 14, according to Hello! magazine. The Princess of Wales, however, will not be present at the women’s final on Saturday.
Kate is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, typically presenting Wimbledon champs with their trophies. On Saturday, organization chairwoman Debbie Jevans will take over the honor. It is currently unknown whether Kate will hand out trophies on Sunday or simply watch the match from the royal box.
Wimbledon will be Kate’s second public appearance since undergoing cancer treatment. She made her official public return at Trooping the Colour last month, joining husband Prince William and the couple’s three children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the military flypast.
Kate was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in January after she underwent a successful abdominal procedure, confirming her diagnosis two months later in March. At the time, Kate revealed via video message that she would undergo a “preventative round of chemotherapy” and planned to cancel all public engagements to recuperate.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” she later said in a June 14 statement. “On those bad days, you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.
Kate added, “I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much-needed time to heal.”
Despite publicly canceling official engagements amid treatment, Kate still kept up with Wimbledon. Earlier this month, the princess sent a personal message to Andy Murray after he played his final professional tennis match.
“An incredible #Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud @andy_murray,” Kate, an avid tennis fan, wrote via social media on July 8. “On behalf of all of us, thank you!”
Murray, 37, was knocked out of the men’s doubles tournament earlier that day, which was his farewell to the sport.
“It feels like a good ending to me. Whether I deserve it or not, I don’t know. But they did a really, really good job,” Murray told reporters of his retirement. “It is hard because I want to keep playing, but I can’t. Physically it’s too tough now. I want to play forever. I love the sport.”
