KATE Middleton shone in bright yellow as she presented the Wimbledon Ladies Trophy to Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina picked up the prestigious All England Club plaque after coming out of a set down in a hard fought 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory against Ons Jabeur.
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And the Duchess beamed as she presented the winner’s trophy to a deserving winner in Rybakina on a glorious sunny afternoon.
Kate is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and is regularly seen at the annual event in the royal box.
The Duchess, who wears a Roksanda dress, was pictured watching alone today – after attending with William to look at British number one Cameron Norrie pick up a quarter-final victory earlier this week.
She joined Tom Cruise, Ellie GouldingDame Maggie Smith and Jodie Comer at Center Court this afternoon.
Before sitting down, Kate spoke to two semi-finalists from the inaugural 14-and-under Junior Championships – Briton Isabelle Britton, 14, and American Carel Ngounoue, 13.
The group could be heard talking about Norrie’s semi-final defeat on Friday, with Kate saying: “He had such a good game, he really did.”
Next, the youngsters said they spoke with Kate about their experience playing at Wimbledon.
Carel said: “She asked us how our experience was here and if we hope to play here when we get older – like the current competition.
“It’s definitely an honor to meet her, it’s great to have this opportunity to meet someone so important.”
Isabelle said: “She said it was good that we got this far, that it’s also a very good experience for the future.”
The Duchess also spoke to two members of staff – guest services host Rachael Williams and property management support Dave Tulloch – who were credited with exceeding expectations during the tournament.
She told them, “What an amazing event to be a part of.”
Kate was likely deeply disappointed by Norrie’s exit from the competition after she and William hailed her ‘brilliant’ win in a thriller in five sets against Belgian David Goffin this week.
In a post-match tweet, they shared a photo of Norrie, 26, punching on the pitch with the caption, “What a match! Simply awesome @cam-norrie.”
They sat down in front of David Walliams, and kate was spotted blowing a kiss to parents Carole and Mike.
The Cambridges also watched Novak Djokovic take on Jannik Sinner on center court.
SERVE MODE
During the most biting moments of the game, a tennis enthusiast kate could barely watch that she was seen covering her eyes and clasping her hands over her mouth.
Prince William was also spotted giving a very lively display and gritting his teeth during a tense service, before bursting into laughter.
But Kate, who is patron of the Lawn Tennis Association, missed the second Wimbledon semi-final yesterday for a very sweet reason.
The tennis fan skipped the game to join Prince George and Princess Charlotte on their last day of school before summer vacation.
Both royal children have attended St Thomas’s Battersea Junior School since they were four years old.
However, the Cambridges are ready to moving from London to Windsor this summer.
“SUCH A GOOD GAME”
This means that young people could attend new schools in September.
Kate also missed a major clash with a British player in 2013, when Andy Murray reached the final.
She had been keen to cheer him on from the Royal Box – but was advised to watch from home as she was heavily pregnant.
She told the sportscaster Sue Barker on the BBC documentary Our Wimbledon: “I was very pregnant with George so I couldn’t come.”
Sue replied, “But you had a great excuse!”
The mum-of-three is clearly catching up to herself today as she watches Ons Jabeur takes on Elena Rybakina.
CUTTING SHOCK
Kate is also an avid gamer.
Earlier this year she was spotted playing a game with her children at the exclusive Hurlingham Club, in Fulham, south-west London, where annual membership costs from £1,600 a year.
She is a regular at the private club and has been taking tennis lessons for several years – often beating her husband William on the pitch.
Sources say she is becoming a “good underage athlete” with a “nice top spin”.
The family even have a court at their country home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
Prince George’s tennis skills were praised by Swiss legend Roger Federer.
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