Wimbledon: Kate presents trophy to ladies’ singles champion Linda Noskova

Noskova defeated her Czech compatriot Karolina Muchova in a thriller on Centre Court.

The Princess of Wales has presented the ladies’ singles final trophy to Czech player Linda Noskova at Wimbledon.

Kate received a standing ovation – and a few wolf whistles – from the crowd as she stepped out onto Centre Court in a strawberry red belted top and pleated midi skirt.

Czech ninth seed Noskova defeated compatriot and 10th seed Karolina Muchova 6-2 5-7 6-3 in a final that lasted two hours and 28 minutes.

The princess, who is patron of the All England Club, also greeted boy boys and ball girls as she arrived on Centre Court for the trophy presentation, and met members of the court service team after the ceremony was complete.

Kate watched the final from her seat in the royal box, where she donned a wide-brimmed sun-hat and used a hand-held electric fan to keep cool in the 29C heat.

The princess shook hands with American tennis star Billie Jean King and sat beside All England Club chairwoman Deborah Jevans and former Czech-American tennis player Martina Navratilova.

Other famous faces in the royal box included Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, American actress Jodie Foster and filmmaker Sir Sam Mendes.

Before arriving in the royal box to watch the final, Kate met Wimbledon staff, two of the ladies’ doubles finalists, and the two girls selected to carry out the coin toss for the ladies’ singles final and the ladies’ wheelchair singles final.

Speaking to court coverer Jenna Fontanilla, the princess hinted that her and William’s youngest son, Louis, eight, was keen on stepping onto the tennis court himself – but not necessarily as a player.

Ms Fontanilla, 18, told the Press Association: “She told me about how Louis was asking her about how to become a ball boy, and we were talking about how much hard work it is to be on court and how we work alongside the ball kids, and it’s just so lovely.”

Describing Kate as “so genuine”, Ms Fontanilla, from Sutton, south London, said Kate put her at ease.

Ms Fontanilla said: “She’s so genuine. It felt so easy. I thought I was going to be really nervous, but she made it so easy. The conversation was very natural.”

She added: “Looking at her through the doors, it was just: ‘Oh my gosh, she’s here’, and then I overheard her with the other conversations, it just felt so natural, and it put peace over me.

“And then when she was right there, reaching out to shaking my hand, I was like: ‘Oh my gosh, which hand, which hand?’ And then I got there, and she was just, oh, that smile.

“It just brings you back, and she’s so genuine.

“The conversation was just so lovely. She’s a people’s princess, everyone says she’s one of the people, and I love it.”

Also in the line-up was Canadian tennis player Gabriela Dabrowski, who will play in the ladies’ doubles final on Centre Court on Sunday.

Dabrowski, 34, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024, and has continued to play throughout her treatment – something she discovered Kate knew about already when they spoke.

The tennis player said: “I guess someone told her, so she acknowledged that and just said it was amazing that I was still playing going through treatment, and she said it was very inspirational, which I feel the same likewise with her story as well.

“Just a very beautiful moment. I didn’t expect to be emotional, but yeah, very strange feeling.”