The Middletons are regulars in the royal box at Wimbledon – but on one occasion Kate was left speechless by an unfortunate remark made by her dad, Michael Middleton

Kate is an avid tennis fan and a regular in the royal box at Wimbledon. But she once admitted she was left absolutely ‘mortified’ by a comment made by her dad Michael Middleton at the prestigious tournament.

It’s not known whether Kate will be able to attend this year in light of her cancer treatment. She did recently appear at Trooping the Colour but organisers have confirmed they are unsure if she will be present. But fans are likely to spot members of her family, including parents Carole and Michael and sister Pippa.

The Middletons have been seen watching the court action at Wimbledon on a number of occasions. And Kate previously recalled an awkward encounter that left her “mortified” in the 2017 BBC documentary Our Wimbledon hosted by Sue Barker.

The Princess remembered how her dad had attempted to stay cool when they crossed paths with former British number one tennis player Tim Henman, saying: “My father is not going to appreciate this, but we were walking past Tim Henman and we had just seen [Pete] Sampras play. My dad said very coolly: ‘Hi Pete’. I was mortified!”

Kate has been patron of the All England Club since 2016, and traditionally presents trophies to the Wimbledon champions. All England Club chair Debbie Jevans said she hasn’t ruled out an appearance from the Princess entirely, confirming that organisers are “staying flexible” over who will conduct the trophy presentation if Kate is unable to do so this year.

Debbie told Telegraph Sport : “We’re hopeful that the Princess of Wales will be able to present the trophies as the Club’s patron, but her health and recovery is the priority. We don’t know what we don’t know. All we’ve said is that we’ll work with her and give her as much flexibility as possible.”

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She continued: “I don’t know who would present the trophies as an alternative – that’s something to consider nearer the time if necessary. We’re staying flexible. When we hear, we’ll then think about what’s the right thing to do.”

Kate is a huge tennis fan and Wimbledon is one of her favourite annual events to enjoy with her children. In 2023, Kate attended the Wimbledon final with her two eldest, Prince George and Princess Charlotte , while her youngest, Prince Louis , stayed at home. She explained to officials at the time: “Louis was very upset he wasn’t coming today!”

Speaking previously about her love of the sport, the royal said: “I have watched Wimbledon, that was very much part of my growing up. It’s such a quintessential part of the English summer, and I think it really inspires youngsters, myself, it inspired me when I was younger to get involved in the game. It hasn’t changed either, I think that’s what’s so wonderful.”