The Prince and Princess of Wales will attend the Wimbledon men's singles final, Kensington Palace has announced. The royal couple will watch defending champion Carlos Alcaraz take on world number one Jannik Sinner on Sunday afternoon, with Kate then presenting the trophy on Centre Court.
Kate, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, received a standing ovation when she arrived on Centre Court on Saturday to watch the women's singles final. The princess told runner-up Amanda Anisimova to keep her "head high" after the American suffered a heavy defeat in Saturday's final.
Princess consoles tearful runner-up
Kate consoled Anisimova, who was in tears, as she presented her runner-up prize. The princess then presented the trophy to Polish player Iga Swiatek, who won the title for the first time by beating Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in a final which lasted only 57 minutes.
Speaking after the match about meeting Kate, Anisimova said: "It was such an honour to meet her. She definitely had a few things to say that were making me emotional again."
Swiatek describes meeting as surreal
"She was really kind and she told me to keep my head high," Anisimova added. Swiatek said receiving the trophy from the princess was "surreal", adding that Kate told her "some nice stuff about the performance" on Centre Court.
The Wimbledon champion added: "Since I was a kid, I'm a big fan of the royal family so it was amazing and I really appreciated that. And I'm really grateful that it was her royal highness giving the trophy."
Royal family presence continues
Last year, Kate presented the Wimbledon men's final trophy to Alcaraz in her second public engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the royal box on Monday, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester also in attendance.
Ahead of the women's final, the princess - wearing a white belted jacket and pleated skirt - met eight-year-old Lydia Lowe, who performed the coin toss at the women's wheelchair final. After shaking her hand, the princess asked the eight-year-old whether she was "nervous" about tossing the coin, adding: "Have you got any advice for me, because I've got to go out."
Young girl offers royal advice
Lydia, who suffered a brain injury in January 2024, leaving her visually impaired and having to relearn to walk, talk and eat, replied: "Don't be nervous. Take deep breaths." The eight-year-old performed the coin toss while representing the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, a charity supporting people with disabilities who play tennis by providing them with specialist equipment and grants.
The men's singles final on Sunday, with highs of 29C predicted, is unlikely to break the record of the warmest closing day at the tournament, which was 34.1C on July 3 1976. The extreme heat during the 1976 tournament prompted organisers to allow umpires to remove their jackets.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
