Kate Middleton isn't letting her ongoing cancer treatments stop her from cheering on British tennis legend Andy Murray from afar.
On Friday, July 6, the Princess of Wales shared a touching message on Kensington Palace's official Instagram page, thanking Murray for an astounding career at Wimbledon and beyond.
“An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end,” the princess wrote in a message shared on the palace's official Instagram stories. “You should be so very proud @andymurray. On behalf of all of us, thank you! C.”
The tennis star played his final matches at the iconic and oldest tennis tournament in the world on Friday—after a montage of and tribute to his career played for the crowd, an emotional Murray addressed the end of his tennis era.
"It is hard because I would love to keep playing but I can't," he said, according to People. "Physically, it's just too tough now. All of the injuries have added up and like I said they haven't been insignificant."
In 2016, the Princess of Wales was appointed the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club by the late Queen Elizabeth, so Middleto has not only attended Wimbledon every year as part of her public-facing royal responsibilities but as an avid fan who deeply enjoys the game.
Usually, Kate Middleton would be seated in the Royal Box during matches and before presenting trophies to the tournament's winners as part of her patronage.
This year, however, Middleton was absent from the games, due to her recent cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatments that have kept her out of the public eye for the better part of the year.
“We’re hopeful that the Princess of Wales will be able to present the trophies as the Club’s patron, but her health and recovery is the priority," AELTC chair Debbie Jevans told Telegraph Sport in a recent interview prior to the start of the tournament. “We don’t know what we don’t know."
Middleton and Murray have also been close friends for some time—in 2023, the tennis great gave a non-verbal shoutout to Princess Kate after his match against Ryan Peniston, People reported at the time.
While the Princess of Wales was enjoying the match alongside tennis legend Roger Federer, Murray pointed to the pair while he addressed the crowd.
Murray and Middleton also joined forces when they made a surprise video call to young tennis athletes attending the Bond Primary School in South London, People also reported at the time.
It was one of the few things I was good at,” Murray said of his tennis career. “I did it because I enjoyed it—because I had fun.”
