Princess of Wales returns to Wimbledon and greets tennis fans lining up in the Queue

Kate, Princess of Wales, laughs next to former tennis player Andy Murray as they watch the second round women's singles match between Katie Swan of Britain and Madison Keys of the United States, at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)

LONDON -- Kate, the Princess of Wales, met tennis fans lining up in Wimbledon’s famous Queue and sat beside Andy Murray in a day of rooting on British players at the grass-court Grand Slam.

The princess, who early last year announced her cancer was in remission, is the patron of the All England Club.

“On arrival, Her Royal Highness visited The Queue, spending time meeting attendees who have queued since early this morning, alongside AELTC’s honorary stewards, who volunteer each year to manage The Queue and welcome guests as they arrive at the Championships,” Kensington Palace said in a statement Thursday.

Wimbledon leaves a small batch of tickets available for same-day purchase and fans begin lining up and camping out the evening before in Wimbledon Park to get them each day.

Kate -- who also helped out in a Wimbledon ticket office -- met with children from Shine Camera Club, a local program that supports kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Crowds gathered as Kate walked by “Henman Hill” to reach Court 18, where British player Arthur Fery was facing Otto Virtanen. She was greeted there by All England Club chair Deborah Jevans and board member Tim Henman, a former Wimbledon semifinalist and namesake of the grassy area -- also just called The Hill -- that overlooks No. 1 Court.

Kate watched a portion of the match -- Fery won 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3 -- before attending Katie Swan’s match against Madison Keys at No. 1 Court, where she sat next to Murray, who in 2013 became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title in 77 years. Swan lost 6-1, 6-4.

Kate last year was at Centre Court on consecutive days to present the winners’ trophies to singles champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. Kate offered consoling words to women’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova after a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Swiatek.

In 2024, while recovering from cancer, Kate did not attend the women’s final but was on hand for Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Novak Djokovic.

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Ken Maguire, The Associated Press