Catherine, Princess of Wales is yet to make an appearance at Wimbledon this year as she continues her treatment for cancer.
However, her presence is still being felt at the All England Club, where a handwritten letter is on display – written at a time before she married Prince William and became a royal.
The letter from Kate Middleton, as she was then, went on display after the couple’s 2011 wedding.
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Kate was already dating Prince William at the time she wrote the note – dated July 12, 2008 – and thanked organisers for helping her enjoy an incognito day with friends, soaking up the atmosphere around the grounds.
“My friend and I had such a fantastic time and it was great to be able to enjoy the day knowing we could have a little peace and quiet if things got too hectic,” she wrote.
“It was a wonderfully relaxed day and we even spent part of it on the Henman/Murray Hill which was great fun. I really was not expecting to be looked after with such hospitality and I certainly was not expecting to see any of the Centre Court games.
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“Thank you so much for the wonderful seats. It was so special to see the end of Murray’s game and Nadal’s easy walk into the quarter finals. Thank you again for making it such a fun and enjoyable/easy visit.”
She signed off: “Best wishes, Catherine Middleton”.
Kate’s love of the game has been long documented, with the first photos of her at the championships taken back in 2007 after she and William were dating.
Back then she watched Sweden’s Robin Soderling take on Rafael Nadal of Spain in a men’s singles third round match.
However, she didn’t enter the royal box until after they were married – making their first Wimbledon appearance together just months after their royal wedding extravaganza.
Kate became royal patron for the tennis tournament while she was Duchess of Cambridge and has attended most years – with the exception of 2013 and 2020.
The royal was not photographed at Wimbledon in 2013 while heavily pregnant with Prince George but was seen there in 2015 and 2018, just weeks after Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were born, respectively.
In 2020 the championships were cancelled amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
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