The Princess of Wales will award the Wimbledon men’s trophy to the winner of the final on Sunday, in a rare public appearance since her cancer diagnosis.
It will be the second time she has appeared in public after undergoing abdominal surgery in January, which led to the discovery of the cancer and the beginning of chemotherapy treatment in late February. Last month, she attended the trooping the colour ceremony for King Charles’s official birthday before which she released a statement saying she was “making good progress” but was “not out of the woods yet”.
Catherine has been a patron of the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, and it is customary for her to present the trophy to the winners of the men’s and women’s final. Last year, she presented the men’s trophy to Carlos Alcaraz after his victory against Novak Djokovic. The two will play each other again in this year’s final.
Catherine will not attend the women’s final on Saturday. Instead, the Wimbledon chair, Debbie Jevans, will present the women’s trophy on her behalf to either Jasmine Paolini or Barbora Krejcikova.
In March, Catherine released a video in which she announced her cancer diagnosis, after months of speculation prompted by her admission to the London Clinic on 16 January for abdominal surgery.
The speculation was partly fuelled by an image released to the press by Catherine on Mother’s Day, which was recalled by some of the world’s biggest picture agencies over claims that it was doctored. The princess later apologised for the “confusion” and admitted to editing the photograph.
In the video released in March, she said: “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
Catherine said her focus was on reassuring her children. “As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal, in my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.”