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Emma Shacklock

Why people might’ve thought Kate Middleton was crying in these pictures taken during special royal appearance

Some might've thought photos showed Kate Middleton crying at Wimbledon. Seen here she attends day thirteen of Wimbledon 2023

Some people might’ve thought Kate Middleton was crying in these pictures taken during a special royal appearance in recent days. 


More than ever in recent years the Princess of Wales has been embracing a personal approach when it comes to royal appearances. She’s not afraid to show delight or sympathy and has often been pictured hugging fans. Perhaps unsurprisingly fans were also treated to some displays of emotion from the royal when it came to Wimbledon 2023. The Princess of Wales, who is known for her love of tennis, attended three times, including when she watched the Women’s Singles Final from the Wimbledon Royal Box

Alongside pictures of her beaming at the brilliant tennis, there were a few other photos which might have got some people worried Kate Middleton was crying, as the epic highs and lows of the match played out on court.  

(Image credit: Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty)

The stakes were high for both finalists as Ons Jabeur was the 2022 runner-up and was battling to become the first African woman to win a Grand Slam title. Whilst Markéta Vondroušová was playing to become the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title - which she eventually did. 

The conclusion of the match was incredibly emotional and the future Queen Consort was photographed seemingly dabbing her eyes at one point. No tears were clearly visible on her face in the pictures, but it looks as though Princess of Wales could potentially have been gently wiping away tears from the corner of her eyes.

(Image credit: Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty)

Although as a tennis fan she likely admired Markéta’s performance, it’s possible her empathetic nature meant Ons’ disappointment moved her too. Regardless of whether Kate Middleton was crying, she certainly did all she could to comfort Ons when she presented the trophies.

She was seen embracing the Wimbledon 2023 runner-up and talking kindly to her, whilst the tennis star looked visibly upset. Speaking during her on-court interview after losing the match, Ons described her loss as “very, very tough”.

“I will try to speak because this is very, very tough, but.. err… I’m going to look ugly in the photos, so that’s not going to help. I think this is the most painful loss of my career,” she said.

(Image credit: Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

“I want to say congratulations to Markéta and her team for this amazing tournament. You’re an amazing player," she continued.

Although it was a “tough day” for Ons, she reflected that she was in no way going to give up, declaring, “I will come back stronger and win a Grand Slam one day.”

As per the Daily Mail, Ons was reportedly asked afterwards what the Princess of Wales had said when she was consoling her. According to the tennis star, the senior royal apparently encouraged her “to be strong, to come back and win a Grand Slam, win Wimbledon”. 

(Image credit: Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)

Ons also revealed that Kate had supposedly been unsure whether to hug her, but the player had told her, “Hugs are always welcome from me”.

“That was a very nice moment and she's always nice to me,” Ons added.

Whether or not Kate Middleton was crying at Wimbledon, her uplifting words certainly seem to have meant a lot to Ons Jabeur.

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