Kate Middleton set to take centre stage at Wimbledon men’s final

They were the warm-up acts for today’s main event – celebrity royalty taking centre stage yesterday at Wimbledon before the Princess of Wales cheers the nation this afternoon when she presents the winner’s trophy to the men’s champion.

Actress Meg Bellamy, who played Kate Middleton in the Netflix blockbuster The Crown, and Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for The Queen, were among the big names taking their places in the Royal Box for the women’s singles final.

Zendaya, who recently starred in Challengers, a romantic comedy set in the tennis world, joined the celebrity cavalcade who watched the Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova hold off Italian Jasmine Paolini in a gripping three-setter to clinch her second Grand Slam title.

Hollywood royalty Kate Beckinsale, Hugh Jackman and Tom Cruise were also there.

There had been hopes the Princess of Wales would be there to present the trophy to Ms Krejcikova, but Kensington Palace confirmed she is ‘keen to be there’ today.

Kate, patron of the All England Club for eight years, could be joined by daughter Princess Charlotte, nine, who was at the men’s final last year. 

Kate will present the winner’s trophy after seven-time champion Novak Djokovic takes on reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in a re-run of their thrilling five-set clash last year.

Her appearance would come hours before her husband Prince William watches England’s men try to win their first major football trophy since 1966. 

He often takes his elder son Prince George, ten, to matches, but Kensington Palace has not yet confirmed if any of the Wales children will accompany their parents to Berlin or Wimbledon.

Kate’s Centre Court appearance today will be only her second public appearance since she was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and began receiving preventive chemotherapy. She attended Trooping the Colour last month.

The Centre Court crowd had an exciting British victory to celebrate last night as Henry Patten and Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara won the men’s doubles on a final set tiebreak.

Patten, 28, from Manningtree in Essex, collapsed in tears after he and Heliovaara beat Australia’s Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in an epic clash.