Princess Kate Is Overheard at Wimbledon Admitting She Was “Stoically British” Through This “Atrocious” Part of Climbing Challenge
The Princess of Wales shared the secrets behind her climb with tennis pros Debbie Jevans and Tim Henman.
People watching is part of the fun of Wimbledon, and their social media team's popular "Overheard at Wimbledon" series has just released a special royal edition. On Wednesday, July 8, the tennis championships shared an Instagram Reel featuring Princess Kate chatting in the stands with former tennis players Tim Henman and Debbie Jevans—and in the video, Kate shared some of the secrets behind her recent charity climbing challenge.
During the July 2 match they attended, Henman asked the Princess of Wales about completing the National Three Peaks Challenge, which saw her climb the three highest mountains in the U.K. "I did it in 24 hours, yeah," she told the former professional tennis player, adding that "trying to enjoy the process" was an important part of the challenge.
However, she admitted the weather conditions made it somewhat difficult in that sense. "The weather was atrocious," Princess Kate said. "I mean, everybody got soaked through, but it was a very stoically British sort of thing to do. You know, you’re soaking wet, and everyone’s going, 'Come on, we can do it.'"
Princess Kate Overheard at Wimbledon
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Kate discussed tennis and her recent climbing challenge with Debbie Jevans and Tim Henman.
The Princess of Wales took part in the event to support the hospital where she was treated for cancer, climbing on behalf of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. She said that knowing she was supporting cancer patients kept her motivated when things got tough.
"Everyone’s been so generous," Kate said. "That’s what keeps you going; it’s when you know you’re doing it for a good cause—it keeps you going through the harder times."
Following the National Three Peaks Challenge, the Princess of Wales shared some emotional family photos, including a rare snapshot of herself with her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, along with brother James and Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George.
The Princess of Wales poses with her family after completing the National Three Peaks Challenge.
Along with discussing the Three Peaks Challenge, the Princess of Wales was also overheard commenting on the tennis action in the Wimbledon Reel, exclaiming "lovely" after some shots and asking Jevans, who is chair of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, how they choose the voices for the line calls. Jevans revealed that they choose "team members" from the club to do it, with tennis fan Kate agreeing that it "sounds authentic" that way.
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As for Princess Kate's next Wimbledon appearance, fans should expect to see her there for the thrilling conclusion of the championships, handing out the trophies for the men's and women's singles finals this weekend.

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.