Kate Middleton's two poignant words at huge event after royal return speak volumes

The Princess of Wales clearly enjoys attending Wimbledon each year - and the crowd adores her, prompting her to make a telling comment in the summer of 2024

Princess Kate received an incredible welcome as she returned to Wimbledon's Centre Court in July 2024. The royal got a standing ovation from the cheering crowd as she made her way to the Royal Box with Princess Charlotte, and beamed as she waved to spectators.

It was clearly a special moment for the mother-of-three. As she went to take her seat, Kate turned to Deborah Jevans - former pro and All England Club chair - and said of the public reaction: "So sweet!" The outpouring of support at the tennis championship came after Kate announced her cancer diagnosis to the world before retreating from the spotlight to focus on her recovery. Wimbledon marked only her second public engagement of 2024; in June, she had attended King Charles III's birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, with her family.

Having been royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, Kate has attended the championships every year, becoming a firm favourite in the royal box. While she was not able to attend the Women's Finals, sources said she was "determined" to attend the men's finals, which saw Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in a nail-biting match.

Wimbledon is clearly one of the Princess's favourite annual events. Speaking about her appearance at the 2023 tournament, body language expert Darren Stanton noted that Kate "just wants to fit in and is truly happy" when she's watching the court action. "In terms of body language and facial gestures, Kate displayed genuine joy, which is apparent as her whole face is engaged," Darren said. "It's fairly obvious when somebody is uncomfortable in a situation as their face isn't engaged. In every shot I've seen of Kate, she appears to be lapping up the atmosphere and clearly loves being at Wimbledon.”

According to the expert, Kate shows similar body language at Wimbledon as the late Diana, Princess of Wales did. He explained: "Kate always displays good eye contact with the people that she's meeting. What comes over from the photos of her is that she has a great sense of fun, happiness and humour.

"There's one particular shot, where she is pulling a face jokingly, which shows she is keen to display a sense of normality in her gestures. She doesn't want to be seen as far removed from normal people and society. While she acknowledges that she is a senior member of the Royal Family, Kate isn't averse to being seen as having a laugh and a joke."

He continued: " Kate's body language is always genuinely open, with plenty of open palm gestures. When Kate walks, she is obviously very graceful and poised, but her posture, shoulder placement and pace also signifies massive confidence. Someone who isn't as confident would likely be walking at a slower pace and looking around for others to take the lead. However, Kate couldn't be more opposite. She is very independent and clearly isn’t afraid to take on any engagement without her husband Prince William . She is very confident now - more so than ever. She has got that inner source of force field that Princess Diana once had."