Princess Kate returns to Wimbledon and greets tennis fans lining up in the Queue

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LONDON (AP) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, met tennis fans lining up in Wimbledon's famous Queue on Thursday before attending a second-round match featuring British player Arthur Fery on one of the outer courts at the grass-court Grand Slam.

The princess, who early last year announced her cancer was in remission, is the patron of the All England Club.

“On arrival, Her Royal Highness visited The Queue, spending time meeting attendees who have queued since early this morning, alongside AELTC’s honorary stewards, who volunteer each year to manage The Queue and welcome guests as they arrive at the Championships,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

Wimbledon leaves a small batch of tickets available for same-day purchase and fans begin lining up and camping out the evening before in Wimbledon Park to get them each day.

The palace said Kate — who also helped out in a Wimbledon ticket office — was to meet with children from Shine Camera Club, a local program that supports children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Kate last year was at Centre Court on consecutive days to present the winners’ trophies to singles champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner.

A year ago, Kate offered consoling words to women's runner-up Amanda Anisimova after a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Swiatek.

In 2024, while recovering from cancer, Kate did not attend the women’s final but was on hand for Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Novak Djokovic.

Fery was playing Otto Virtanen of Finland on Court 18. She sat next to Tim Henman, the former Wimbledon semifinalist who is now an All England Club board member.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis