The Princess of Wales made a surprise appearance at Wimbledon last week, and while there, met with tennis legends Sir Andy Murray and Tim Henman - as well as unsuspecting tennis fans. Today (8 July), Wimbledon released an 'Overheard at Wimbledon: Royal Special', sharing snippets of Kate's 'behind-the-scenes' conversations on the day.
Watching the action alongside Tim Henman, the Princess of Wales was asked by him about her recent Three Peaks Challenge and what had kept her motivated. 'It’s when you know you’re doing it for a good cause. It keeps you going through the harder times,' the Princess of Wales said. She was raising money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, connected to the hospital where she received her own treatment, and said she had been 'so blown away by all the donations. Everyone’s been so generous.'
Kate also confirmed to Tim that she had completed the challenge within the 24 hour time limit. She admitted that the conditions hadn't been ideal, but that camaraderie had helped get her through. 'The weather was atrocious, I mean, everybody got soaked through,' she said. 'But it was a very sort of stoically British thing to do. You know, you’re soaking wet and everyone’s going, “Come on, we can do it.”'
The Princess also explained how 'part of the journey' had been 'trying to enjoy the process' and make 'time during the walk to meet people and enjoy the journey, rather than just quickly getting to the top.' One encounter the Princess made during her trek went viral, having met 11-year-old Ted, who was completing the expedition in a wheelchair with his dad, Pete, and other friends and family members. Photos and videos of the sweet exchange were shared widely by fan accounts.
Kate later made a personal donation to Ted's cause, Molly Olly's Wishes with the message, 'One of the real highlights of the Three Peaks Challenge was meeting inspiring people like you along the way. Huge congratulations to the entire team for raising money for such a wonderful cause. C.'
While at The Championships, The Princess also commented on the grounds and the tennis, including how things have changed over the years. One of the questions she asked was about the automated line calling, and was told that the staff recorded their own voices to be used during matches, so the calls still felt authentic.
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Earlier in the day, The Princess of Wales surprised tennis fans waiting in the queue outside the Wimbledon grounds, and even had a go working the ticket desk. She later joined Sir Andy Murray and, speaking to Good Housekeeping, he revealed they'd chatted about their children. He said that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are fans of both tennis and new racket sport craze, padel.
If you'd like to find out more about the Princess of Wales' National Three Peaks Challenge for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity or donate, you can visit the dedicated webpage. If you'd like to donate to Ted's charity, Molly Olly's Wishes, you can do so here.
