For Kate Middleton, a shock cancer diagnosis sent 2024 careering off in an unexpected direction. But while the Princess of Wales, 42, has largely kept out of the limelight while undergoing chemotherapy, the royal has slowly, carefully begun reintegrating herself back into public life.

On Sunday 14 July, Kate made a public appearance – only her second since revealing her diagnosis – at the Wimbledon men’s final. Given her health status, Kate’s appearance was by no means a dead cert, with Kensington Palace previously briefing that the Princess of Wales would only attend events when she felt up to it, as agreed with her medical team.

So it came as some surprise on Saturday then, when it was announced that Kate would, in fact, be in attendance at Wimbledon the following day for the men’s singles final. And the Princess of Wales was all smiles as she arrived at the All England Club in the early afternoon, when she immediately met five players, including Emma Raducanu.

It was then Kate’s time to watch the men’s final. Wearing a purple dress by Safiyaa, the royal was greeted by a standing ovation as she arrived at centre court, where she watched Carloz Alcaraz beat Novak Djokavic from the royal box along with daughter Charlotte, nine, and sister Pippa Matthews, 40.

After the match, Kate introduced her daughter to Alcaraz, telling the Spanish player, ‘This is Charlotte’ and adding that the nine-year-oldl had been ‘cheering you on’. Kate appeared in high spirits throughout the day, and was pictured beaming throughout the occasion. ‘Great to be back at @Wimbledon! There’s nothing quite like The Championships,’ the post from the official Kensington Royal account read.

For fans, seeing Kate back to her seemingly cheery self was a relief. The Princess of Wales is still undergoing cancer treatment, and has previously admitted that her experience has been tough. Kate made her first public appearance alongside her family for Trooping the Colour in June, but was clear to note that she was ‘not out of the woods yet’.

‘I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,’ she said. ‘On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give into your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.’

While Grazia previously reported that Kate hoped to be well enough to attend Wimbledon, it was in no way guaranteed. But both the tournament, and tennis as a whole, have always meant a lot to the Princess. Kate has been photographed at Wimbledon since 2007, and as the patron of the All-England Tennis and Croquet Club, is a regular fixture both in the royal box and handing out trophies.

Kate has always been a keen tennis player too, but has admitted that parenthood initially made it hard to get out there and hit a ball around. But with the young Windsors – George, 10, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six – rapidly growing up, a love of the game is being passed down between the generations.

Charlotte and George were in tow with their mother at last year’s Wimbledon, where Kate told officials that her kids had been ‘eagerly watching’ and added that Charlotte was ‘getting to grips with the scoring’. This year, she revealed that the family had been playing ‘a lot’ and that Charlotte herself had been practising just the previous day. Kate added that the sport was “really great for the youngsters”.

On Sunday, however, it was just the Wales women who were in attendance. George, meanwhile, was supporting a sport of another kind, as he and dad Prince William travelled to Berlin to cheer on England at the Euro 2024 final. While England might have lost to Spain 2-1, father and son were seen excitedly watching on from the stands.

The respective appearances from the Prince and Princess of Wales have led many royal commentators to declare ‘a return to royal normalcy’ after what has so far been a tricky year for the royal family.

Back in March, Kate was forced to reveal her cancer diagnosis after months of speculation about her health and whereabouts after she underwent abdominal surgery, then stepped back from public life. While the surgery was successful, tests found that cancer had been present, and she began preventative chemotherapy.

In the months since, Kate has been focusing on her health, and her family. A friend of the royal previously told Grazia, ‘Family time is her absolute priority. It has been difficult shielding the children from some of the tougher aspects of her treatment, but they are her main driver in staying strong and keeping going. The three kiddies and William have been her sole focus and are her absolute world.’

While she will continue playing public appearances by ear, her slow return to public life suggests we’ll be seeing more of the royal around.