An eight-year-old girl who had to learn to walk, talk and eat again told the Princess of Wales ‘don’t be nervous’ while presenting the Wimbledon trophy.
Little Lydia Lowe gave Kate, 43, the heart-warming advice after overcoming her own health battle following a brain injury last year.
It was the most high-profile public appearance for the princess this year and follows worries for her health after she pulled out of Ascot last month.
The princess presented the trophy to Iga Swiatek, who won the title for the first time after thrashing Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the final which lasted only 57 minutes.
Ahead of the match, the princess, wearing a white belted jacket and pleated skirt, met little Lydia, who performed the coin toss at the women’s wheelchair final.
After shaking her hand, the princess asked the eight-year-old whether she was ‘nervous’ about the coin toss, adding: ‘Have you got any advice for me? Because I’ve got to go out.’
Lydia from Doncaster answered: ‘Don’t be nervous. Take deep breaths.’
Kate lit up and replied: ‘Take deep breaths? OK, I’ll remember that. Thank you.’
The Princess of Wales meets Lydia Lowe, eight, from the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust
Ahead of the final, the princess, wearing a white belted jacket and pleated skirt, met Lydia (pictured). The little girl loves tennis and has used it as part of her recovery
Lydia told Kate not to be nervous after she asked the eight-year-old for some advice
The Princess then told Lydia she was a ‘pro’ and asked her ‘what does it mean to you to come and do this?’, with the eight-year-old replying: ‘It means loads to me.’
The princess added that she wanted to say ‘well done’ and celebrate Lydia’s ‘bravery’.
Lydia performed the coin toss while representing the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, a charity supporting people with disabilities who play tennis by providing them with specialist equipment and grants.
The eight-year-old, who loves tennis, has got back out onto the court as part of the recovery from her injury.
Lydia’s mother, Leanne said: ‘As part of her rehabilitation, the doctors said to try and get Lydia back into doing things that she was doing before.
‘She got taken onto a tennis court and she picked up her racket and all she wanted to do was use her left hand and that’s how she’s got her left hand back, through tennis.’
Kate also met Sophie Kneen, 12, who was selected to perform the coin toss at the women’s singles final, representing the AFC Wimbledon Foundation.
Speaking after meeting the future queen, Sophie said ‘It was so, so good, and I’m really honoured to be able to meet her.
‘She asked me a bit about the charity I’m with and I said how they try and encourage young girls to play sports.’
Lydia (second left) is pictured meeting top British tennis stars Katie Boulter and Jack Draper
Lydia performed the coin toss while representing the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, a charity supporting people with disabilities to play tennis
The Princess of Wales comforted Amanda Anisimova after her 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek
The Princess of Wales with AELTC chair Deborah Jevans leaving the All England Club
Accompanied by All England Club chairwoman Deborah Jevans, Kate also congratulated women’s wheelchair singles champion Wang Ziying and asked her whether the final was a ‘good game’.
The princess said to the Chinese player: ‘It’s very hot playing in this weather, isn’t it?
‘It must be nice to celebrate at Wimbledon.’
Kate, who donned a bow-shaped brooch in the Wimbledon colours of purple and green, also spoke with Jefferson Iweh, a ticket sales operator, Bob Flint, an honorary steward and Wimbledon foundation host Shaniah Williams.
The princess told Mr Flint, 75, who first worked at the championships in 1980: ‘Well done for all the years of commitment and dedication.’
Asked about meeting the princess, Ms Williams, 23, said: ‘It was an absolute privilege to actually meet and have a conversation with her. She’s so beautiful.
‘It was really nice to catch up with her and tell her a bit about my role.’
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.
The princess (pictured watching the final in the Royal Box) added that she wanted to say ‘well done’ and celebrate Lydia’s ‘bravery’
Princess of Wales smiles as she greets tennis legend Martina Navratilova in the Royal Box on Centre Court ahead of the women’s singles final
Kate wowed Wimbledon spectators today as she attended the women’s final
Poland’s Iga Swiatek (left) poses with the women’s Wimbledon trophy alongside runner up Amanda Anisimova (right)
Catherine, Princess of Wales, smiles in the Royal Box prior to the the Ladies’ Singles Final
Swiatek held her hands to her head in disbelief after she tore her American opponent apart in a one-sided final
Catherine, the Princess of Wales, shakes hands with Wimbledon staff
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 Wimbledon on Saturday.
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 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.
