Kate Middleton consoles Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova after the American is demolished 6-0, 6-0 in the tournament’s most one-sided final since 1911

The Princess of Wales delighted Wimbledon spectators today as she watched Iga Swiatek thrash Amanda Anisimova in the Women’s Final.

Kate, 43, beamed as she made her way through the crowd to take her place at the front row of the Royal Box, with spectators erupting into cheers. 

The patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club presented the trophy to Swiatek after she triumphed 6-0 6-0 against American Anisimova on Centre Court.

Anisimova broke down in tears after she became the first to lose to a double bagel scoreline in the women’s final at SW19 since 1911. 

Kate gave warm words of encouragement and consoled the American as she collected the runners-up trophy. 

A tearful Anisimova, the 13th seed, wiped away tears as she praised Swiatek and said she had ‘run out of gas a bit today’. 

The 23-year-old was playing in her first Wimbledon final and said ‘she would never forget this experience’. 

Anisimova burst into tears again as she mentioned how her mother had flew in this morning to watch her.

‘Thank you for being here and breaking the superstition of not flying in – it isn’t why I lost here,’ she joked. 

Arriving alongside, chair Debbie Jevans, the Duchess of Cambridge put on a stunning display in a cream ensemble, including a high collared belted top, flowing skirt and a £950 Anya Hindmarch tote bag.

She added a ‘Wimbledon bow’ to her ensemble, which features the official colours of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club – purple and green.

Before taking her seat, Kate met a string of tennis champions alongside Jevans, including Chinese wheelchair tennis player Wang Ziying. 

Elsewhere, Kate beamed as she met Bob Flin, Wimbledon’s longest-serving Honorary Steward, Wimbledon foundation host Shaniah Williams, as well as Jefferson Iweh, a ticket sales operator.

The Princess of Wales also met Sophie Kneen, 12, who is due to perform the coin toss at the ladies’ final, and eight-year-old Lydia Lowe, who did the same at the ladies’ wheelchair final.

The royal, who is making a steady return to public duties following her cancer diagnosis, was joined by legendary tennis player Billie Jean King.

Last year, the Princess presented the Wimbledon men’s final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, in her second public engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis.

The Princess of Wales’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the Royal Box on Monday, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester also in attendance.

The Queen told tennis star Novak Djokovic that she was keeping her ‘fingers crossed’ as she visited Wimbledon on Wednesday.

The Princess Royal’s son Peter Phillips attended the championships on Wednesday, with Hugh Grant and former prime minister Sir John Major also in the Royal Box.

Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah, former footballer Ian Wright and Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins were among the notable names to attend a hot day at the world-renowned tournament today.

Today’s competitor Iga Świątek previously crushed British No. 2 Emma Raducanu for the second Grand Slam in a row in May, with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat in the second round of Roland Garros. Now she gears up to take the title. 

Kate, who has been the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, is often tasked with handing out trophies, but it renowned for her kind gestures. 

In 2023, Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur was tearful after coming runner-up in two consecutive finals, following a loss at the US Open the same year.

As the royal presented her with her runners-up prize, the two stopped to talk, with Kate offering words of encouragement and embracing the visibly distressed athlete in a break from royal protocol. 

In an interview, Jabeur said: ‘Obviously, she was very nice. She didn’t know if she wanted to give me a hug or not. I told her hugs are always welcome from me.’ 

When she was asked what Kate had said to her, she added: ‘Same thing after last year. To encourage me to be strong, to come back and win a Grand Slam, win a Wimbledon.’

The Princess has been a fan of the sport since childhood, with the royal telling Sue Barker in a 2017 BBC documentary: ‘I have watched Wimbledon, that was very much part of my growing up.

‘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.’ 

Speaking to HELLO! magaine, Jabeur added that the Royal initiated the warm embrace, noting her kind energy was a significant support: ‘She was really the nicest. She has watched me twice, losing the final twice. 

‘She kept asking me if she could hug me, and I was like, ‘Who doesn’t want a hug from a Princess, you know?’ 

‘For me, it was such an amazing moment. And not just that, I felt her kindness and energy around me.’ 

Today, the temperatures are forecast to peak at around 30C and fall short of a record for a women’s singles final day, with 31.2C having been recorded on the day of the 1976 final between Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong Cawley.

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: ‘There will be blue skies at Wimbledon throughout the day, so it will feel hot, with very high UV levels and a light wind.

‘There might be a little bit more cloud around tomorrow, making it a degree lower.’

The men’s singles semi-final on Friday between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz was stopped twice in less than five minutes because of crowd emergencies, amid temperatures of 32C on Centre Court.

Three fans also needed attention on Centre Court on Thursday in similarly hot conditions.

The men’s singles final on Sunday, with highs of 29C predicted, is unlikely to break the record of the warmest closing day on record of 34.1C recorded on July 3 1976.

The extreme heat during the 1976 tournament prompted organisers to allow umpires to remove their jackets.

Wimbledon has said the heat rule will apply for all singles events for players, which allows for a 10-minute break when the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is at or above 30.1C.

The rule will apply after the second set for all best-of-three-set matches, and after the third set for all best-of-five-set matches.

Players may leave the court during the break, but they may not receive coaching or medical treatment.

Last year, Kate, who had stepped away from public royal duties while undergoing cancer treatment, was greeted with a standing ovation when she arrived to SW19. 

She presented the Wimbledon Men’s trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, after he took on veteran Novak Djokovic, winning in three sets. 

Before passing the trophy to Alcaraz, Kate commiserated and shook the hand of runner-up Novak Djokovic. 

She attended the prestigious sporting competition alongside her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Middleton.

Before the mother-daughter duo took their seats in the Royal Box, they met with female tennis stars, including 21-year-old Emma Radacanu, who all presented Kate with a bouquet of flowers. 

Charlotte grinned from ear to ear as she met with the tennis star, who sadly saw her Wimbledon dream crushed on Centre Court by New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun last week.

Kate and Charlotte were also greeted by Sonay Kartal, Lily Miyazaki, Lucy Shuker and Flora Johnson as they arrived on the players’ lawn at Wimbledon before entering Centre Court. 

Charlotte gave wheelchair tennis player Shuker a ‘pinky promise’ that she would try the sport alongside her mother. 

Kate was also introduced to Raducanu, who was knocked out in the fourth round of this year’s championships, telling her: ‘It was so hard to see you go out.’

US Open winner Raducanu said it was ‘amazing’ to have the support of the princess and ‘see her here looking so healthy and happy’.

It’s no secret that ambitious blood runs through the Middleton veins, as Pippa and Kate were both known to be super competitive with sports at school events as children.

They were both on the hockey team as teenagers, though the Princess of Wales was team captain during her years at Marlborough College in Wiltshire.

Kate always enjoyed physical education as a student and even went on to become a star tennis player, a keen netball player and used to beat the boys at high jump.