Princess Kate received a rapturous reception as she took her seat at the Wimbledon Tennis Championship men's final on Sunday, making only her second official public appearance of the year as she continues her treatment for cancer.
The princess is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts the championships each year. The royal was given the honor by Queen Elizabeth II back in 2016.
Kate has traditionally attended the championships across several days each year. However, after announcing that she had been diagnosed with cancer in a statement back in March, her attendance this year was confirmed with only 24 hours' notice.
The princess attended the men's singles final match between seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic and 21-year-old returning champion, Carlos Alcaraz, accompanied by her sister, Pippa Matthews, and daughter, Princess Charlotte.
As Kate entered the royal box on the famous Centre Court where the final match is played, cameras covering the event caught the moment the crowd rose to their feet and gave her a deafening cheer.
The royal took her seat and offered the crowd a wave in return with a broad smile.
Posted by the official Wimbledon X (formerly known as Twitter) account with the caption "A wonderful Centre Court welcome for our Patron HRH The Princess of Wales 💜," the video has received over five million views in less than 24 hours.
"Everyone looks happy to see her," wrote one X user of the clip.
"It's so good to see her back in public looking well!" posted another, with a further comment reading: "Aww she looks so good what a warm and loud standing ovation 💜🥹😍."
Kate's appearance comes as she said in a health update provided in June that she hoped to be able to attend some public events over the summer.
On June 14 the royal issued the biggest update about her health since her cancer announcement back in March. She thanked the public for their warm wishes and explained that while still receiving treatment and that though she is "not out of the woods," she hoped to begin to re-engage with public life over the summer.
On June 15 she attended the Trooping the Colour celebrations in London, marking her first official public appearance of the year, and was warmly received by crowds.
For Sunday's tennis match, Kate, Charlotte and Pippa were not the only well-known names in attendance. Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and Zendaya were all seated around the center court to watch Alcaraz take on Djokovic.
The 21-year-old Spaniard saw out an early lead to finally win the championship overall for the second consecutive year.
As AELTC patron, Kate presented the prizes to both the champion and runner-up. Djokovic and Alcaraz both offered the royal a respectful bow as she handed over their trophies, offering words of congratulations and encouragement.
Typically, Kate would have been joined at the event by Prince William, who has also taken Prince George along, but this year, William and George traveled to Germany where the England soccer team took on Spain in the final of the UEFA Euros 2024 tournament.
The royal father and son duo watched on as England were defeated in a 2-1 win. Spain's King Filipe VI and his youngest daughter, Infanta Sofía, were also in attendance.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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