What Is Kate Middleton's Role In Wimbledon And 5 Signs She Might Attend This Year's Event
Catherine, Princess of Wales, and William, Prince of Wales, have shared many cute moments at the Wimbledon tennis tournament, even showing a little PDA sometimes. However, their attendance is not just as spectators, although their seats in the Royal Box likely provide a stellar view. Kate Middleton is actually the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and has been since 2016. Because of that, she usually hands trophies out to the singles winners of the Wimbledon championships.
Due to Kate's health, it's unknown if she will be able to participate in the Wimbledon 2024 festivities at all. In March 2024, she announced a cancer diagnosis and that she was going through chemotherapy. The rumored reason for her announcement was heartbreaking and due to a rumored leak of her health news.
As of writing, Kate's attendance has not been confirmed, but there are some signs that she may show up to Wimbledon 2024 before it ends on July 14.
Kate attended Trooping the Colour 2024
One sign that Catherine, Princess of Wales, will be at Wimbledon 2024 was that in June 2024, she attended Trooping the Colour. Her surprise announcement of attendance the day before the event had everyone feeling cautious, but she seemed to be in good spirits and good health, smiling alongside her family on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl discussed Kate Middleton's time at Trooping the Colour with Entertainment Tonight. Nicholl felt that Kate really wanted to do that event and that she wasn't there just because someone advised her to be.
Nicholl also pondered if Kate would make a Wimbledon appearance. The royal expert mentioned Kate's Instagram announcement about potential future engagements, saying, "She spoke in that very personal message about wanting to be able to do the things that bring her joy. I think that's being in nature, that's being with her children, that's taking part in everyday school life, but tennis, don't forget, is something that the princess absolutely loves."
Nicholl spoke about the tradition for Kate and the royal family to watch Wimbledon and added, "It wouldn't surprise me at all if we see her pop up at Wimbledon because I think that is something that will bring her joy, and a huge amount of her recovery depends on her being happy."
Another royal has attended Wimbledon 2024
Buckingham Palace has kept mum on whether or not Catherine, Princess of Wales, will make a Wimbledon appearance over the course of the tournament. However, The Sun they confirmed that on July 3, 2024, the festivities would be attended by Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester. She is a senior royal and the wife of Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. The outlet also reported Birgitte is the honorary president of the Lawn Tennis Association. After attending the President's Lunch for that organization, she would be watching the Wimbledon matches.
Since one royal has already been at Wimbledon, it's possible Kate Middleton may find her way into the Royal Box before the festivities end. William, Prince of Wales, might also make an appearance at Wimbledon at some point. However, it's unclear if William could attend the Wimbledon men's singles final since the Euro Championships football tournament ends the same weekend, and it's possible that the England team may be playing in that final game. As president of the Football Association, William may feel more compelled to head to Germany to watch the soccer championship instead.
Kate is passionate about tennis and Wimbledon
Another potential reason the world could see Catherine, Princess of Wales, at Wimbledon 2024 is that she's passionate about the event and the sport as a whole. In a 2017 BBC documentary on Wimbledon, Kate Middleton told Sue Barker about watching it annually. She added, "It's such a quintessential part of English summer, and I think it really inspires youngsters, myself, it inspired me when I was younger to get involved in the game."
Kate played tennis growing up and has reportedly taken tennis lessons at Hurlingham Club, but during a private school visit in 2018, she explained why she doesn't play as much as she used to. Kate said at the time, "I love tennis, I think it's a great sport, I was really sporty when I was little, less so now that I've got lots of babies!" (via Mirror).
She doesn't seem to have forgotten how to play. In a 2023 YouTube video shared by Wimbledon, Kate's tennis skills were seen while she played against tennis champ Roger Federer. Then, the duo learned how to be a ball girl and a ball boy.
Is it Prince Louis' turn for a Wimbledon debut?
In 2022, Prince George joined his parents at Wimbledon for the first time. In 2023, it was Princess Charlotte's turn. Will Catherine, Princess of Wales, make an appearance at Wimbledon 2024 so Prince Louis can go for the first time, too? When George and Charlotte joined Kate Middleton and William, Prince of Wales, in 2023, Kate said Louis felt left out by not attending that year's Wimbledon as well.
"Louis was very upset he wasn't coming today," Kate told Ella Ottaway from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, per Daily Mail. The princess continued, "It's Charlotte's first time, George came last year. They've been eagerly watching. Charlotte, you've been getting to grips with the scoring."
During last year's Wimbledon, Louis was only five years old. He is six as of writing, so he may have to wait a few more years, since George and Charlotte were both eight when they attended Wimbledon their first time. Perhaps Kate would bring Louis along earlier than expected if she goes this year.
The officials would love for Kate to be there
Catherine, Princess of Wales, has to put her health first. The Wimbledon officials understand that completely, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't love it if Kate Middleton was able to attend the tennis tournament in 2024. In a June 2024 interview with Telegraph Sport, the chair of the All England Club, Debbie Jevans, said, "We're hopeful that the Princess of Wales will be able to present the trophies as the Club's patron, but her health and recovery is the priority. ... All we've said is that we'll work with her and give her as much flexibility as possible."
Jevans said they didn't have a concrete back-up plan on who would hand out trophies for the singles champs on both the men's and women's sides if it wasn't Kate. She continued, "We're staying flexible. When we hear we'll then think about what's the right thing to do."
Only time will tell if Kate will be able to make a Wimbledon appearance in 2024. If not this year, hopefully, she'll be back next year!