Princess Kate sends surprise message to tennis legend Andy Murray

Kate Middleton isn’t letting her cancer treatments stop her from cheering on British tennis legend Andy Murray from afar.

On Friday 6 July, the Princess of Wales shared a touching message on the official Kensington Palace Instagram page, thanking Murray for an amazing career at Wimbledon and beyond.

“An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end,” the princess wrote in a message shared on the palace’s official Instagram Stories. “You should be very proud @andymurray. On behalf of all of us, thank you! C.”

The tennis star played his final matches at the world’s oldest and iconic tennis tournament on Friday. After a montage and tribute to his career were shown to the crowd, an emotional Murray spoke about the end of his tennis era.

“It’s hard because I would like to continue playing but I can’t,” he said, according to People“Physically it’s too hard now. All the injuries have been piling up and, as I said, they haven’t been insignificant.”

Princess Kate sends heartfelt message to Andy Murray.

(Image credit: Instagram: @princeandprincessofwales)

In 2016, the Princess of Wales was appointed patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club by the late Queen Elizabeth. Middleto has therefore not only attended Wimbledon every year as part of her public royal responsibilities, but also as a passionate fan with a deep appreciation of the game.

Kate Middleton usually sat in the royal box during matches and before presenting trophies to tournament winners as part of her patronage.

This year, however, Middleton was absent from the Games, due to her recent cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatments that kept her out of the public eye for most of the year.

“We hope that The Princess of Wales will be able to present the trophies as Patron of the Club, but her health and recovery is the priority,” said Debbie Jevans, AELTC Chair. Telegraph Sport in a recent interview before the start of the tournament. “We don’t know what we don’t know.”

Middleton and Murray have also been close friends for some time. In 2023, the tennis great sent a non-verbal message to Princess Kate after her match against Ryan Peniston, People reported at the time.

As the Princess of Wales enjoyed the match alongside tennis legend Roger Federer, Murray pointed the finger at the duo as he addressed the crowd.

Murray and Middleton also joined forces when they made a surprise video call to young tennis athletes attending Bond Primary School in south London, People also reported at the time.

“It was one of the few things I was good at,” Murray said of his tennis career. “I did it because I loved it, because I was having fun.”