Catherine, Princess of Wales, will be present at the Wimbledon Men’s final in London on Sunday after her recent cancer diagnosis, her Kensington Palace office confirmed.
“The Princess of Wales, who is the Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, will attend the Gentlemen’s Singles Final of The Championships, Wimbledon on Sunday, July 14th,” stated the palace in a press release.
Reports from UK media suggest that the princess will award the trophy to the winner of the final match, where Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic will face defending Spanish champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Last month, Catherine made a tentative return to public appearances in the UK for the first time since her diagnosis, attending a military parade in London celebrating King Charles III’s official birthday.
The 42-year-old future queen made an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, receiving cheers from the crowd below.
This marked her first public engagement since attending a Christmas Day service last year.
In a statement released at the time, Kate mentioned that she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment and was “making good progress”, though she still had several months of treatment ahead of her. She expressed her excitement at attending the King’s Birthday Parade and potentially engaging in more public events over the summer.
Angela Perry, a teacher in her 50s from Reading, expressed to AFP at the event the importance of Kate’s presence and called her return “reassuring”.
Kate’s cancer announcement came shortly after it was revealed that British head of state Charles had also been diagnosed with the illness.
Both Charles and Kate have not disclosed the exact type of cancer they are battling.
Charles, at age 75, received clearance to resume public duties in April, with doctors expressing optimism about his progress.
He has since participated in commemorative events in northern France marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Royal officials are cautious about Kate’s gradual return to the public eye, emphasizing that her appearances will be dependent on her ongoing treatment and recovery.
In her statement, Kate mentioned having “good days and bad days” and taking each day as it comes.
Princess Anne, the king’s sister, took on additional responsibilities during the absences of Charles and Catherine, but faced her own health setback after being hospitalized for five days due to a horse-related incident.
Anne, 73, recently returned to public duties after recovering from concussion.
Catherine and her husband William celebrated Anne’s return, expressing their joy on social media: “Super trooper! So great to see you back so soon!”, signing it “W and C x”.
jwp/ach
