Princess of Wales presents Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova with Venus Rosewater Dish after receiving standing ovation in royal box at Women’s Final

A beaming Princess of Wales dazzled in a striking red dress as she handed the winner’s trophy to Linda Noskova at Wimbledon today.

The royal had earlier received a standing ovation as she attended the gripping all-Czech Women’s Final at SW19.

Thousands watched in awe as Noskova and Karolina Muchova battled it out for the Venus Rosewater Dish, but it was ultimately the 21-year-old who took game, set and match.

Noskova took he first and third sets 6-2, 6-3, marking her first Grand Slam crown.

Earlier this afternoon, Kate, who is Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, looked resplendent as she arrived at Wimbledon where she was greeted by Sally Ambrose, a member of the Committee of Management of The Championships.

The princess, 44, received cheers from spectators as she took her seat in the Royal Box in the Centre Court, where she was joined by former tennis player Martina Navratilova.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, presenter Davina McCall, and actors Jodie Foster and Hannah Waddingham also joined Kate in the stand.

Kate, who is a known tennis aficionado, has in previous rounds broken with tradition to ditch the Royal Box and take in the action on the outside courts.

The Princess – who is a keen player herself and often hands the trophy to the winner at the end of the tournament – was seen last week on Court Number One and Court 18.

Today, she stopped to chat with disabled tennis fan Thea Stach, 12, who performed the coin toss at the ladies’ wheelchair singles final on Court Number One. Japan’s Yui Kamiji went on to defeat Diede de Groot in the final, 6–0, 6–0.

Thea, who has cerebral palsy and autism, began playing tennis through Bright Ideas for Tennis last year to regain strength in her legs after an operation to lengthen her tendons.

The Princess of Wales also met Canadian tennis player Gabriela Dabrowski, who will play in the ladies’ doubles final on Centre Court on Sunday.

She told the Wimbledon finalist that she is ‘inspirational’ for continuing to play tennis while undergoing treatment for cancer.

The royal spoke with Dabrowski before taking her seat in the royal box to watch the ladies’ singles final.

Dabrowski, 34, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, and has continued to play throughout her treatment – something she discovered Kate knew about already when they spoke.

The tennis player said: ‘I guess someone told her, so she acknowledged that and just said it was amazing that I was still playing going through treatment, and she said it was very inspirational, which I feel the same likewise with her story as well.

‘Just a very beautiful moment. I didn’t expect to be emotional, but yeah, very strange feeling.’

Dabrowski, who has a ‘few more years’ of hormone therapy left to undergo, said Kate told her that she believes sport can ‘prove that your body is still strong’.

At the end of June, Kate, who herself revealed she was being treated for cancer in 2024, took on the Three Peaks Challenge in aid of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

The future queen completed the challenge, which involves climbing the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, within 24 hours.

Dabrowski said: ‘That’s what she loves about sport, is that you can still prove that your body is strong, and so I think that was that was really cool to hear from her.

‘I love that she loves her sport. So yeah, just a beautiful moment.’

Also in the line-up to meet Kate was Shirley Rodriguez Yugsi, 11, who performed the coin toss for the ladies’ singles final on Centre Court, representing the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI).

Shirley said meeting the princess was ‘unbelievable’, adding: ‘It was like a dream. I didn’t think it was happening.

‘It was amazing. I would have never thought that I would get to shake her hand.’

She said Kate asked her what she was going to be doing that afternoon, and Shirley told her she had been selected for the coin toss.

‘She said she was proud of me for doing for achieving it… for being the one picked to do it,’ Shirley said.

Shirley has been a part of the WJTI for eight years.

Funded by the Wimbledon Foundation, the WJTI is a community outreach programme which aims to introduce children from across Merton and Wandsworth to tennis, developing their skills and building their confidence.

‘It’s just improving my life a lot,’ Shirley said.

‘I feel that my mindset is more organised, and when I play tennis, it’s like the only place I can escape from reality.

‘For some, it may be reading books. For me, it’s tennis.’

During the championships, the Princess of Wales has been pictured smiling and chatting to members of the public who had joined the queue for Wimbledon tickets in the early hours.

She also helped hand out grounds passes to tennis fans, some of whom had camped overnight in Wimbledon Park to secure coveted access to the tournament.

Kate posed for selfies with members of the public, affectionately putting her arm around one woman who was holding her phone in one hand and her queue card in the other.

She was also overheard telling two attendees ‘have a really fun time’ as she handed them their tickets.

The Princess greeted those who had been waiting for entry into SW19 and hailed the queue as an ‘accessible’ entry point.

And Kate, like the rest of the nation, got caught up in Fery-mania as she sent her congratulations to Britain’s newest tennis star.

Taking to X after Arthur Fery’s quarter-final win over ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, she wrote: ‘Congratulations to Arthur Fery on becoming the first British wildcard to reach the Gentlemen’s Singles semi–finals in the Open Era, a fantastic achievement that has inspired so many. Wishing you the very best for the next round.’

Fery, however, could not follow up his heroic exploits as he succumbed to a straight-sets defeat against No2 seed Alexander Zverev, who was in imperious form.