Princess of Wales surprises fans in Wimbledon queue

Tennis fans who had queued for hours for Wimbledon tickets were met with a delightful surprise on Thursday morning.

The Princess of Wales greeted hopeful attendees at the front of the queue and joined stewards to take payment and hand out tickets.

Kate Middleton, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), wore a blue linen suit as she spoke to fans of the tournament who had queued from as early as 4am to gain access to the championships.

The princess told two tennis fans to “have a great time” as she handed them a ticket. In the queue, she could be seen smiling and laughing as she greeted visitors and took pictures with them.

Onlookers stopped to take pictures as Kate entered the grounds of the famous sports venue.

One attendee congratulated the princess on her recent Three Peaks challenge.

Kate also spoke to honorary stewards, who volunteer each year to manage the busy queue.

She then sat to watch British wildcard Arthur Fery on Court 18, sat alongside British former professional tennis player Tim Henman and AELTC chair Debbie Jevans.

The princess is patron of the AELTC and regularly attends Wimbledon.

Last year, she presented the men’s trophy to world number one Jannik Sinner after watching the singles final on Centre Court with the Prince of Wales.

The princess was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and made her second public appearance following her diagnosis at the championships that year.

She was greeted with cheers and applause as she and Princess Charlotte took their seats in the front row of the royal box at Centre Court.

At the start of 2025, she confirmed she was free from the disease.

After entering the grounds, Kate was welcomed by a round of applause and cheers as she walked past Henman Hill. The princess waved at spectators.

She then entered Court 18 to watch Briton Arthur Fery play his second-round match against Finnish Otto Virtanen.