LONDON — Kate, Princess of Wales, attended the men’s final at Wimbledon on Sunday, a rare public appearance since she announced she had cancer earlier this year.
Kate, 42, is a big tennis fan and has been a regular at the Royal Box for years. She often comes with her husband, Prince William, and other members of the royal family. This year she was joined by her daughter Charlotte, 9, and sister, Pippa Middleton Matthews, 40.
Wearing a long purple dress, Kate waved to the crowd as she walked onto Centre Court at Wimbledon, where she was greeted with a standing ovation ahead of the Grand Slam final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Kate’s public appearances have been limited since she revealed earlier this year that she was undergoing cancer treatment. William, 42, and their children George, 10, Charlotte and Louis, 5, have also largely stayed out of the public eye in recent months.
Last month, however, Kate attended the Trooping the Colour event in London, an annual military ceremony marking the official birthday of King Charles III.
Ahead of her performance, she shared an update on her cancer treatment, saying in a written message that she was “not out of the woods yet” and that she was having “good days and bad days.” She said she was “making good progress” but that her treatment would still take a few months.
Kate’s health has been the subject of widespread speculation and unfounded conspiracy theories after the palace announced she would withdraw from public duties due to a planned abdominal operation in January.
The wife of Britain’s future king responded to months of speculation in March with a video in which she revealed she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
Her announcement came after her father-in-law, King Charles III, announced his own cancer diagnosis in February. Doctors discovered the disease after he was hospitalized with an enlarged prostate, though the palace has said he does not have prostate cancer.
The 75-year-old monarch and Kate will not say what types of cancer they have or what their prognosis is.
Since resuming public duties last month, Charles has attended several events, including D-Day commemorations in France.
After Kate attended the tennis match a few hours later, Kensington Palace said in a statement that William would be cheering on England at the 2024 European Championship final in Berlin against Spain.
Earlier in the tournament, William, chairman of the English Football Association, watched the team play Switzerland and Denmark on their way to the tournament’s climax.