This Interaction Between Princess Kate and a Three-Year-Old Boy at Wimbledon Will Melt Your Heart

Kate Middleton at Wimbledon 2023 — (Image credit: Getty)

The Princess of Wales is never more in her element than when she is around kids—either her own three, or others she runs into at different royal engagements. If you haven’t seen this exchange between Kate and a little boy at Wimbledon—you’re missing out. The Daily Mail calls Kate “the children’s princess,” and for good reason. “In this heartwarming moment, Kate proved exactly why she’s affectionately nicknamed with the title,” the outlet writes.

Last week, Kate was adorably greeted by a young fan, and, as cute as the little one was, Kate was just as sweet. In a clip posted to Instagram—and captioned “The most beautiful princess”—Kate walks past a little boy who, hoping to capture her attention, softly shouts “Hi Princess!” Kate immediately stops and waves before walking over to him.

“What’s your name?” she asks the boy, who suddenly turns shy. Kate adds “Have you had a fun day?” She then puts her attention on his toy that he holds in his hands, asking him “What’s this? Very cool. I like that.”

Latest Videos FromMarie Claire

Watch full video here:

Kate—who bent down so she was at eye-level with the boy—smiles and adds “Nice to meet you” before leaving.

Kate has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club since 2016, and Wimbledon is a staple in her diary annually because of it (and because she is an avid fan of the sport, and sports in general). Fun fact: For this outing to Wimbledon, Kate wore a Balmain blazer—the first time she has worn the label, despite being a fashion house heavily favored by the rich and stylish.

Per The Independent, the young fan’s name is Marcelito Avévalo, and he is three years old. When Kate stopped to talk to Marcelito and his mother, they were at the daycare facility where Marcelito’s mother—herself a former tennis coach—was picking him up. Kate could have just waved and walked by—but her interaction with the little boy shows why she is, indeed, “the children’s princess,” never happier than when she is with youngsters.

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.