Kate Middleton had taken a step back from her public duties, but her love for tennis remains as strong as ever. The Princess of Wales announced in March that she would be stepping aside from her royal responsibilities after releasing a shocking video about her cancer diagnosis. Yet, even this serious illness cannot keep her away from the allure of Wimbledon and the All-England Club.

The Kensington Palace has confirmed that Kate Middleton will be present on Sunday to hand over the trophy for the men’s final as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are set to face each other yet again. It is going to be a repeat of Wimbledon 2023, where Alcaraz defeated Djokovic to clinch his first title, and the Spaniard is once again entering the finals as the favorite. 

However, her presence will be missed on Saturday as she will not be making it to SW19 for the finals of the Women’s singles event, where Jasmine Paolini and Barbora Krejcikova are all set to take against each other in the finals of the women’s singles category. Meanwhile, Debbie Jevans, Sally Bolton, and Sandi Proctor will do the honor “at her request.” Princess Kate last stepped onto Centre Court to hand out the trophies in 2023.

Middleton has honored the Wimbledon winner on the grass courts often, ever since she married Prince William in 2011. She has traditionally handed out the award to the winner in her role as the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. However, 2024 was different for the Duchess.

Known for her grand and royal appearances at Wimbledon, the 42-year-old Kate could not make it to the venue this year. In fact, she has made only one public appearance with the royal family this year as she continues her cancer treatment largely out of the public eye. She was seen in June at “Trooping the Colour”, the annual military parade, and revealed her desire to attend other events over the summer. It was probably for this reason that Wimbledon Boss Debbie Jevans promised to give as much flexibility as possible to her, in a statement she made in June. 

Speaking to the Telegraph Sport, Jevans had 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.” For the unversed, Catherine was handed over the responsibility of patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2016 by the late Queen Elizabeth.

When Middleton revealed about her preventive chemotherapy progress

Middleton’s announcement about her cancer had surprised the globe. But even more so, it saddened the tennis fans who expected to not see the ‘Royal fan’ at Wimbledon after she set aside from her public duties. Before returning to her public duties in June, Kate shared a personal written message to inform about the progress of her treatment.

“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days.” Continuing further, she shared that her treatment would continue for a few more months. “My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months.” While her office denied giving any detail about the type and the stage of her cancer, it was reported that her troubles began in February this year.

As she marks a return to the grass courts, it will be ecstatic for the entire tennis community to watch her handing the Wimbledon trophy to either Alcaraz or Djokovic.