On the Fourth of July, Andy Murray played his final match at Wimbledon. The Scotsman was the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years. He won Wimbledon twice, and he picked up gold and silver medals on Centre Court at the London Olympics. Wimbledon gave Andy an incredibly emotional ceremony on Centre Court, with a lovely video package and some of the other legends of the sport coming out to pay their respect. Sue Barker even came out of retirement to interview Andy. You know who couldn’t be bothered though? Wimbledon’s royal patron, the Princess of Wales. I still remember when she skipped Wimbledon’s lovely centenary event in 2022 too. Well, two days after Andy’s retirement, Kate posted this on Twitter:
An incredible #Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud @andy_murray. On behalf of all of us, thank you! C
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 6, 2024
To be fair, someone on KP’s social media staff also posted something on the 4th on their IG Stories. I’ll also be fair to Kate about this: Andy was supposed to play a mixed doubles match on Saturday with Emma Raducanu but Emma pulled out, and maybe Kate originally intended to come out for that. While I understand that Kate is still going through cancer treatments…what was her excuse for skipping the centenary event in 2022? It’s like the royal patron makes a point of skipping the biggest moments for Wimbledon and British tennis. Anyway, the Daily Beast had this comment from a friend-of-Kate:
Hopes are high that Kate might stage a dramatic return to the Royal Box, on Centre Court, a week on Sunday for the highlight of the week—the men’s final—and present the winning trophy.
A friend of Kate and William’s told The Daily Beast: “It is no secret that she would dearly love to be there, but when you are having chemo, as she herself said, there are good days and bad days. A lot depends on the timing of the treatments. She made [it] to Trooping the Color so if she can make Wimbledon, she will.”
No mention of the women’s final on Saturday, which I predicted – if Kate comes out, it will probably only be the men’s final. Also: there are no British players left in the singles draw, but there are several Russians and Russians-who-play-for-Kazakhstan. It’s possible that she’s waiting to see if any Russians make it to the finals before she makes her decision, because God knows, she’s too delicate-yet-important to present a trophy to a Russian.
Here’s Andy Murray’s Centre Court ceremony:
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
Tom Cruise with Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff,Image: 620944001, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon 
Catherine Middleton (Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge),Image: 706194273, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon 
Roger Federer and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Roger Federer was presented to the fans as he took his seat in the Royal box at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships Day Two at the All England Club, London, United Kingdom,,Image: 787119105, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights, Model Release: no, Credit line: Peter van den Berg / Avalon
Catherine, Princess of Wales taking her seat in the Royal box at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships Day Two at the All England Club, London, United Kingdom,,Image: 787123155, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights, Model Release: no, Credit line: Peter van den Berg / Avalon 
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge prepares to present the trophies for the womens’ final on Day 13 at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club, London, UK, 15 July 2023,Image: 789315138, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights, Model Release: no, Credit line: Peter van den Berg / Avalon 
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Attends The Women’s Final 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the AELTC in London, UK, Featuring: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 09 Jul 2022 Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ABACA/INSTARima/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
The Princess of Wales, Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, arrives for day two of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 04 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
The Princess of Wales speaks to India Caddy Guest Services Host on day thirteen of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 15 Jul 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY** 
The Princess of Wales during a visit on day thirteen of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 15 Jul 2023 Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW9pZ4F5e8%2BroKeblajAoLfArZyYr5%2BquaWrw56Yq6SplLmwwsSYq6iXl6Sstbu%2BsKCmmpyasbC6vpusrZeTlru1q8%2Brpqaho5qsorrYrZ%2Bippdk