KATE Middleton glowed in bright yellow as she presented the Wimbledon Ladies trophy to Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina clinched the prestigious All England Club plate after coming from a set down in a hard fought 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory against Ons Jabeur.
Kate Middleton was given the honour of presenting the Wimbledon Ladies’ trophy
The Duchess of Cambridge presented the winner’s trophy to Elena Rybakina
Kate Middleton looked stunning in yellow as she arrived at Wimbledon this afternoon
She beamed as she met Rachel Williams, guest services host, and Dave Tulloch, estate management support services
The duchess excitedly greeted a friend as she took her seat
And the Duchess beamed as she handed over the winner’s trophy to a deserving winner in Rybakina on a glorious sunny afternoon.
Kate is the 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 is wearing a Roksanda dress, was pictured alone watching today – after attending with William to watch British number one Cameron Norrie score a quarter-final victory earlier this week.
She joined Tom Cruise, Ellie Goulding, Dame Maggie Smith and Jodie Comer at Centre Court this afternoon.
Before taking her seat, Kate spoke with two semi-finalists in the inaugural 14 and under junior championships – Great Britain’s Isabelle Britton, 14, and the USA’s Carel Ngounoue, 13.
The group could be heard talking about Norrie’s loss in the semi-final on Friday, with Kate saying: “He had such a good game, he really did.”
Afterwards, the youngsters said they talked with Kate about their experience playing at Wimbledon.
Carel said: “She asked us how our experience was here and if we’re hoping to play here when we get older – like the actual competition.
“It’s definitely an honour to meet her, it’s great to have this opportunity to meet someone so important.”
Isabelle said: “She was saying that it was good that we were getting this far, that it’s a really good experience for the future as well.”
The duchess also spoke to two staff members – guest services host Rachael Williams and estate management support Dave Tulloch – who were acknowledged for going above and beyond during the tournament.
She told them: “What an amazing event to be a part of.”
Kate’s likely to have been deeply disappointed with Norrie’s exit from the competition after she and William hailed his “brilliant” win in a five-set thriller against Belgium’s David Goffin this week.
In a tweet after the match, they shared a photo of Norrie, 26, pumping his fist on the court with the caption: “What a match! Just brilliant @cam-norrie.”
They sat 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 Centre Court.
FASHION SERVE
During the most nail-biting moments of the game, avid tennis fan Kate could barely watch as she was seen covering her eyes and clasping her hands in front of her mouth.
Prince William was also spotted putting on a very animated display and clenching his teeth during a tense serve, 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 for their final day at school before the summer break.
Both royal kids have attended St Thomas’s Battersea Junior School since they were four.
However, the Cambridges are set to move from London to Windsor this summer.
‘SUCH A GOOD GAME’
It means the youngsters may be attending new schools in September.
Kate also missed a major clash featuring a British player back in 2013, when Andy Murray made it to the final.
She’d been keen to cheer him on from the Royal Box – but was advised to watch from home as she was heavily pregnant.
She told sports host Sue Barker on the BBC documentary Our Wimbledon: “I was very heavily pregnant with George so I wasn’t able to turn up.”
Sue replied: “But you had a great excuse!”
The mum-of-three is clearly making up for it today as she watches Ons Jabeur face off against Elena Rybakina.
CUP CLASH
Kate is also a keen player herself.
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’s a regular at the private members’ club and has been taking tennis lessons for a number of years – often beating husband William on the court.
Sources say she’s becoming a “good minor athlete” with a “nice top spin”.
The family even has a court at their country home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
Prince George’s tennis skills have been commended by Swiss legend Roger Federer.
Tom Cruise is also enjoying the tennis this afternoon
The duchess is a huge tennis fan, and often plays herself
Ellie Goulding wore all white for the final today
Rebel Wilson arrived in a pink dress and high-heeled sandals
Dame Maggie Smith looked lovely in a blue sun dress
