Royal fans are waiting with bated breath to see if Kate Middleton will make an appearance at Wimbledon this year, but at the moment, her attendance is still up in the air and is entirely dependent on how she’s feeling by the end of the week.
A friend of Middleton’s spoke with The Daily Beast and revealed that the princess hopes to be at the annual tennis championship, but it depends on the spacing of her chemo treatment amid her cancer battle. “It is no secret that she would dearly love to be there, but when you are having chemo, as she herself said, there are good days and bad days,” the source told the outlet. “A lot depends on the timing of the treatments. She made it to Trooping the Colour, so if she can make Wimbledon, she will.”
Getty
Should Middleton attend, she is slated to present the trophy to the winner of the women’s final on Saturday and the men’s final on Sunday, but there is someone in line as back up if she can’t make it due to health concerns. Tatler reported that in the event Middleton skips the matches, “bosses have earmarked the Duchess of Gloucester”— Birgitte, wife of Queen Elizabeth’s cousin The Duke of Gloucester—”as a likely candidate to present the Wimbledon trophies if the Princess is unavailable. As discussions continue amidst Kate’s absence, it is understood that informal discussions with the Duchess of Gloucester as a potential replacement have begun.”
Getty
In the meantime, someone has already seemingly filled in for Middleton at Wimbledon, at least as a spectator in the stands. Her mother, Carole Middleton, was seen wearing a floral dress and sunshine yellow sunglasses while sitting in a box at the event—a seat that the Princess of Wales likely would have occupied if she were present.