Ahead of handing out the Wimbledon trophies at the ladies’ singles final, Princess Kate received some sage – and seriously adorable – words of wisdom from an eight-year-old girl
When Princess Kate arrived at the Wimbledon ladies’ singles final, she was a vision in an all-cream ensemble. The future Queen beamed and blushed when she received a standing ovation as she took her seat in the royal box – but before she came into centre court she shared a seriously sweet moment with eight-year-old Lydia Lowe.
Lydia had the honour of doing the coin toss for the Ladies’ Wheelchair Singles Final – and the brave little girl shared some words of wisdom with Kate about how to overcome nerves before being the centre of attention.
The girl, from Doncaster, Yorkshire, suffered a brain injury in 2024 – which left the little girl having to relearn how to walk, talk and eat from scratch.
She was representing the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, a charity that supports people with disabilities to play tennis by providing them with specialist equipment and grants.
In an adorable moment, Kate was heard asking, “Have you got any advice for me because I’ve got to go out and do the prize-giving?”.
The schoolgirl, who plays visually impaired tennis, wisely replied: “Don’t be nervous, take deep breaths.”
After Lydia gave Kate her words of wisdom, the future Queen replied: “Take deep breaths. I’ll remember that. Thank you.”
Lydia got back on court after her brain injury on the advice of her doctors, her mum Leanne revealed to Doncaster Free Press.
“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.”
The inspiring little girl also raised a whopping £20,000 last year with the ‘The Six LOVE challenge for Lydia Lowe’.
Kate also met with Sophie Kneen, 12, who performed the coin toss before this afternoon’s ladies’ singles final and chatted with Wimbledon’s longest-serving steward, Bob Flint, who has worked at the Championships every year for the last 45 years.
And she met ladies’ wheelchair singles champion Wang Ziying and her coach, Ralph Yin.
Kate has been Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, when she took over the role from the Duke of Kent – and she was seen at the grand slam’s final wearing her sweet purple and green bow brooch that was given to her personally by the late Queen Elizabeth.
Kate attended the ladies’ final solo – after bringing her daughter Princess Charlotte and sister Pippa Matthews to the gentlemen’s final last year – and it marked her first appearance at an event by herself since she missed Royal Ascot last month.