Kate Middleton was in the royal box at Wimbledon to watch Iga Swiatek dominate Amanda Anisimova in the women’s singles final and she consoled the American runner-up afterwards
Kate Middleton on Centre Court this afternoon (Image: Victoria Jones/Shutterstock)
Kate Middleton shared heartfelt words with a tearful Amanda Anisimova following her defeat in the Wimbledon women’s singles final to the formidable Iga Swiatek.
The Polish tennis star clinched victory with a resounding 6-0, 6-0 win over the American, who received comforting words from Kate after the match. As Anisimova approached to receive her runner-up trophy on Centre Court, the future queen consort was there to offer her support, leaving Anisimova visibly moved.
Lip reading specialist Jeremy Freeman captured Kate’s consoling message: “You should be so proud, well done, and enjoy yourself.”
Earlier that day, Kate, aged 43, was greeted with a standing ovation as she made her entrance at Wimbledon, heading towards the royal box.
Jeremy also deciphered her reaction to the crowd’s applause, interpreting her response as: “Sweet, very nice to hear.”
The princess expressed gratitude for the warm reception from the 15,000-strong audience that welcomed her.
The moment Kate Middleton consoled the runner-up (Image: Ella Ling/Shutterstock)
Before these touching exchanges, Kate had the pleasure of shaking hands with past Wimbledon victor Martina Navratilova, aged 68, and then met the iconic Billie Jean King, 81, who curtsied in her presence.
Upon being asked by Billie Jean King how she was doing, Kate simply responded: “Beautiful.”
Kate looked stunning in an elegant cream outfit, complemented by the traditional Wimbledon purple and green ribbon affixed to her shirt.
Joining her in the royal box were celebrities such as Adam Peaty, Holly Ramsay, Stanley Tucci, Greta Gerwig, athlete Mo Farah, and Sam Mendes.
Kate, who is in remission from cancer following her diagnosis last March, has been adjusting to a “new normal” and gradually resuming her public engagements.
As a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the princess was present just a short distance from Swiatek during the trophy presentation ceremony.
Kate thanked the crowd for their standing ovation after she arrived (Image: Javier Garcia/Shutterstock)
Addressing the audience, Poland’s first Wimbledon champion Swiatek remarked: “First of all I want to congratulate Amanda for an amazing two weeks no matter what happened today. I hope we’re going to play many more finals here and at other tournaments.
“I didn’t even dream [about winning] because it was way too far, I feel like I’m already an experienced player after winning the slams before but I never really expected this one.”
Ansimova, the runner-up, praised her opponent by stating: “Iga, you’re such an incredible player, obviously showed today. You’ve been such an inspiration to me, an unbelievable athlete. Congratulations to you and your team.”