Special meaning behind Kate Middleton’s Wimbledon bow – after Princess of Wales donned her go-to brooch for her triumphant tennis tournament return

The Princess of Wales made a triumphant return to Wimbledon yesterday, with keen-eyed fans perhaps noticing the royal wearing her favourite green and purple bow for the occasion.

The 42-year-old royal has been patron of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club, also known as the AELTC (which runs Wimbledon’s day-to-day affairs), since 2016.

Since 2017, the mother of three has worn the elegant brooch, featuring the tournament’s iconic colours, every time she visits Wimbledon.

Yesterday, the Princess opted for a stunning lavender dress by Safiyaa London, worth £1,295. This was her second public appearance since announcing that she is undergoing cancer treatment.

Kate debuted her green-and-purple bow in 2017, when she paired it with a short-sleeved white dress.

The future queen has worn it every year since then when she participates in the Grand Slam tournament.

Last year, the Princess of Wales wore the prestigious accessory on the final day of the competition with her elegant emerald green dress by Roland Mouret.

In 2022, she pinned it to her chest, next to her navy polka dot Alessandra Rich dress and also on her bright yellow Roksanda dress.

The Princess’s Wimbledon brooch is more than just an accessory. It is a symbol of royal patronage, a gift from Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2016, Kate took over the role of patroness from the late Queen, who had held the position for 64 years.

The accessory is worn by members of the Committee of Management – ​​the AELTC Executive Board and representatives of the LTA – during the Fortnight. It symbolises their responsibilities as the Committee that governs the tournament.

The patroness is traditionally given a commission bow in recognition of her role, which is why the Duchess has chosen to wear it when she visits the championships.

Other persons who also receive an honorary bow before the Committee include the Chief Executive.

The current club colours of dark green and purple were introduced in 1909, as the previous club colours (blue, yellow, red and green) were too similar to those of the Royal Marines.

The patroness is traditionally given a commission bow in recognition of her role, which is why the Duchess has chosen to wear it when she visits the championships.

Other persons who also receive an honorary bow before the Committee include the Chief Executive.

When Kate and Charlotte, nine, and her mother the Princess of Wales, 42, arrived to take their seats in the Royal Box at Centre Court, they were greeted with a standing ovation and applause.

The duo, along with Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, saw the reigning champion, Carlos Alcaraz, take on the experienced Novak Djokovic, winning in three sets.

Kate and Charlotte, nine, spoke to tennis player Alcaraz off court and said she had watched his performance at home.

The mother of three, who has stepped down from public royal duties due to her cancer treatment, said: ‘This is Charlotte, [she was] cheering you on. You had crossed everything.

Alcaraz, dressed all in white and holding his trophy, responded, “Nice to meet you.”

Kate then said, “We’ve been watching a lot on TV, so it’s great to finally meet you,” before repeating her words as the athlete had difficulty hearing her.

Charlotte was over the moon as she stood next to Kate and smiled at Alcaraz during their conversation. Her aunt Pippa stood behind the couple and laughed at the interaction.

Before passing the trophy to Alcaraz, Kate offered her condolences and shook hands with runner-up Novak Djokovic.

The royal, wearing a £1,295 custom-made Safiyaa gown, was greeted to a standing ovation earlier in the day as she entered the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

Before the mother-daughter duo took their seats in the Royal Box, they met female tennis stars, including 21-year-old Emma Radacanu, who all presented Kate with a bouquet of flowers

Charlotte grinned from ear to ear when she met the tennis star, who saw her Wimbledon dream shattered on Centre Court last week by New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun.

Kate and Charlotte were also greeted by Sonay Kartal, Lily Miyazaki, Lucy Shuker and Flora Johnson as they arrived at the Wimbledon players’ court, before taking to Centre Court.

Charlotte gave wheelchair tennis player Shuker a ‘pinky promise’ that she would try the sport with her mother.

Kate was also introduced to Raducanu, who was knocked out in the fourth round of this year’s championships. She told her: ‘It was so hard to see you go out.’

US Open winner Raducanu said it was “wonderful” to have the princess’s support and “to see her here looking so healthy and happy”.

The daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who wore a £70 Guess Polka Dot dress, was thrilled to meet the tennis star and was photographed flashing a big smile in her presence.

Mother and daughter were then introduced to the ‘Work at Wimbledon’ programme, which supports young people from different backgrounds in their role during the championships.

Alcaraz now has four Grand Slam trophies with a perfect record in major finals, following his two Wimbledon triumphs, his 2022 US Open victory and his French Open win last month. The defeat denied Djokovic a 25th Grand Slam title, which would have put him past Margaret Court on the all-time list and also equal Roger Federer’s eight men’s singles titles at Wimbledon.