The Decision on Whether Princess Kate Will Attend Wimbledon This Weekend or Not Will Come Down to a \201cFiercely Protective\201d Prince William, According to a Former Royal Butler

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published 11 July 2024

As Wimbledon’s women’s final approaches on Saturday and its men’s final approaches on Sunday, all eyes will no doubt be on the Royal Box, where Wimbledon attendees and royal followers alike are hoping to see the Princess of Wales make an appearance over the weekend, roughly one month after her triumphant return to public life at June 15’s Trooping the Colour. Kate, as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, traditionally hands out trophies to both winners of the fabled tennis tournament annually, and apparently hopes to do the same this year, if her health allows.

Kate Middleton at Wimbledon — The sight many fans of the Princess of Wales hope to see this weekend is a familiar one: Kate presenting trophies at Wimbledon, an annual staple in her diary.

Former royal butler Paul Burrell—who worked for the royal family for 21 years—said that Kate “knows the world will want to see her,” but that the decision will come down to Prince William, who is “fiercely protective” and “will decide whether she’s fit enough” to attend Wimbledon, per The Sun.

Burrell said it was “highly likely” that Kate would be in attendance as she is a “huge tennis fan,” but added “William controls this household, and William will decide whether she’s well enough to do this, because he’s the one that protects the family—fiercely,” Burrell said. “There’s no way he’s going to subject Kate to intrusion that she can’t handle.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton — William is "fiercely protective" over his family, Burrell said.

Burrell added that this “fiercely protective” side of William “absolutely” stems from losing his mother Princess Diana in a car accident when he was just 15 years old. “With William by her side, Kate’s safe because he will take care of her and would never let anyone harm her,” Burrell said.

According to royal commentator Emily Andrews, Kate “would love” to go to Wimbledon this year: “Her treatment is ongoing and will be for the next few months, but I understand she would like to visit the Wimbledon tennis tournament—she is a patron—if she feels up to it,” she said.

Kate herself said in an appearance in the BBC documentary Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon in 2017 that “I have watched Wimbledon—that was very much part of my growing up,” she said. “It’s such a quintessential part of the English summer, and I think it really inspires youngsters, myself—it inspired me when I was younger to get involved in the game. It hasn’t changed, either. I think that’s what’s so wonderful.”

Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2023 — Kate is a huge fan of Wimbledon and tennis in general; she plays the sport herself, and is a big fan of it, too. Here she is with former tennis pro Roger Federer at last year's tournament.

Not totally sold on William being the ultimate decision maker about Kate’s attendance—she’s a grown woman and can make decisions like that herself—but if she goes or not, William won’t be there, unfortunately. Per The Daily Beast, William is spoken for, and for a sporting event, too—he’ll be in Germany this weekend cheering on England’s soccer team in the final of the European Football Championship, which will see England face off against Spain. William is patron of Britain’s Football Association, and if England wins, it’ll be the team’s first international tournament victory since it won the World Cup in 1966.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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