Each year, millions of sports enthusiasts tune in to watch the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament in the world.

For Kate, the Princess of Wales, the Wimbledon Championships is more than just a game; it’s a ‘quintessential part of the English summer’.

Those lucky enough to get tickets to watch in person get through around 140,000 punnets of strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream.

As Kate is expected to return to the royal spotlight on July 8 for the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, royal observers are eager to catch a glimpse of the princess at this year’s championships.

Kate, who has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, was tasked with handing out the winners and runner-up trophies at Wimbledon in 2023.

Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur was tearful after coming runner-up in two consecutive finals. It was a tough time for the athlete as she also lost at the US Open Final that year. 

As Kate presented her with her runners-up prize, the two stopped to talk. 

Kate, known for her kind gestures, offered words of encouragement and embraced the visibly distressed athlete in a break from royal protocol. 

Kate Middleton, who has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, was tasked with handing out the winners and runner-up trophies at Wimbledon in 2023

Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur was tearful after coming runner-up in two consecutive finals. It was a tough time for the athlete as she also lost at the US Open Final that year

Kate, known for her kind gestures, offered words of encouragement and embraced the visibly distressed athlete in a break from royal protocol

In an interview, Jabeur said: ‘Obviously, she was very nice. She didn’t know if she wanted to give me a hug or not. I told her hugs are always welcome from me.’

When she was asked what Kate had said to her, she added: ‘Same thing after last year. To encourage me to be strong, to come back and win a Grand Slam, win a Wimbledon.’

The Princess has been a fan of the sport since childhood, with the royal telling Sue Barker in a 2017 BBC documentary: ‘I have watched Wimbledon, that was very much part of my growing up.

‘I think it really inspires youngsters, myself, it inspired me when I was younger to get involved in the game. It hasn’t changed either, I think that’s what’s so wonderful.’

Speaking to Hello!, Jabeur added that the Royal initiated the warm embrace, noting her kind energy was a significant support: ‘She was really the nicest. She has watched me twice, losing the final twice.

‘She kept asking me if she could hug me, and I was like, “Who doesn’t want a hug from a Princess, you know?”

‘For me, it was such an amazing moment. And not just that, I felt her kindness and energy around me.’

This comes as the tennis star had to retire just 26 minutes into the first round during this year’s tournament.

In an interview, Jabeur said: ‘Obviously, she was very nice. She didn’t know if she wanted to give me a hug or not. I told her hugs are always welcome from me’

‘For me, it was such an amazing moment. And not just that, I felt her kindness and energy around me,’ said Jabeur

When she was asked what Kate had said to her, she added: ‘Same thing after last year. To encourage me to be strong, to come back and win a Grand Slam, win a Wimbledon’

Jabeur needed medical assistance midway through the first set but ultimately withdrew from her match with Viktoriya Tomova.

As this year’s tournament is well underway, the likes of John Cena, Thomas Tuchel and Olivia Rodrigo have all been part of the star-studded line-up in the Royal Box.

The courtside Royal Box has served as a VIP area since 1922 and includes access to a private clubhouse for lunch, along with a ‘smart’ dress code. 

Sarah Ferguson, the former wife of Prince Andrew, made her first Wimbledon appearance in more than two decades as she was spotted on the first day of the renowned tennis competition with her daughter, Princess Beatrice.

It’s the first time the ex-wife of Prince Andrew has been seen at the prestigious tennis tournament since 2000 when she watched Venus and Serena Williams during the semi-finals of the women’s singles.

However, during the tournament, the duchess wasn’t seated in the Royal Box, which she had often graced alongside Princess Diana between the 1980s and 1990s.

Last year, Kate was joined by her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Matthews, for the men’s final, marking her second major appearance of the year amid her cancer treatment. 

The only time the Princess missed the tournament was in 2013 when she was weeks away from welcoming her first child, Prince George.

Jabeur with her trophy in their Ladies’ Singles Final during day thirteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 

Jabeur in tears at the trophy presentation after her loss against Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the Ladies’ Singles Final match 

Hugs all round: 15. Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, still holding the winners trophy, hugs a tearful Jabeur of Tunisia as she leaves the court 

This isn’t the only time Kate has broken royal protocol by swapping a stiff handshake for a hug. 

Like the late Princess Diana, Kate has a natural charm which gives her an advantage when it comes to winning over public affection. 

During a visit to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ London headquarters in February 2018, Kate saw Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent – the midwife who helped deliver Princess Charlotte in 2015 – and gave her an enormous hug.

According to the Royal Family website, it suggests that upon meeting royalty, men should bow from the neck and women should dip into a small curtsey. 

The same rules follow when you address a royal. It’s Your Royal Highness on the first meeting and subsequently Sir or Ma’am.

But as royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘The Queen once told Michelle Obama that royal protocol is rubbish, meaning that the Royal Family adapt it when it is appropriate to do so.’

Last year, Kate was joined by her daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Matthews, for the men’s final, marking her second major appearance of the year amid her cancer treatment

Kate is pictured at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon on July 15, 2023

Catherine, Princess of Wales, claps after Vondrousova’s victory in the Women’s Singles Final 

Kate has often flexed the rules of royal protocol by giving out hugs and chatting extensively to adoring fans.

It seems rules are meant to be broken as even Prince William has strayed from royal protocol when he hugged 78-year-old Fatima Jafari, who lost her husband in the Grenfell Tower fire.

As Wimbledon is an event which the princess holds so close to her heart, royal observers are desperate to see Kate at the tournament. 

In the meantime, eagle-eyed fans will be keeping their eyes out for celebrities in the Royal Box.