Kate Middleton Sends Surprise Personal Message to Andy Murray as His ‘Incredible Wimbledon Career’ Ends
Kate Middleton Sends Surprise Personal Message to Andy Murray as His ‘Incredible Wimbledon Career’ Ends
Princess Kate has attended Wimbledon every year since marrying Prince William — except for in 2013 when she was pregnant with Prince George
By Marina Watts Published on July 6, 2024 02:51PM EDT
Kate Middleton, Andy Murray
Kate Middleton in November 2023; Andy Murray on July 3, 2024.
Kate Middleton is cheering for Andy Murray from afar at Wimbledon.
The Princess of Wales, who is undergoing chemotherapy amid her cancer diagnosis, shared a rare message to the tennis legend on the official royal Instagram account for the Prince and Princess of Wales on Saturday, July 6.
“An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud @andymurray. On behalf of all of us, thank you!” read her Instagram Stories message, which she signed off with “C” for Catherine, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Kate Middleton Wimbledon, Instagram
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram Stories message. THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES/INSTAGRAM
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Murray, 37, played one of his final Wimbledon matches on Friday, July 5. He became emotional following a tribute to his career and spoke about his retirement.
“It is hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t,” he said of the bittersweet goodbye to the sport. “Physically, it’s just too tough now. All of the injuries have added up and like I said they haven’t been insignificant.”
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Princess Kate, 42 and Murray have been friends for several years. In 2023, the tennis star gave a silent shoutout to the Princess of Wales following his match against Ryan Peniston. Murray pointed to her and Roger Federer in the crowd during his comments on the court.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends day thirteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 15, 2023 in London, England.
Kate Middleton at Wimbledon in 2023. KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE
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Three years prior during the pandemic, Kate and Murray teamed up for a surprise video call to young tennis athletes at the Bond Primary School in South London.
At the time, Murray told the students about why he pursued a career in tennis. “It was one of the few things I was good at,” he said. “I did it because I enjoyed it — because I had fun.”
Kate has attended Wimbledon every year since she married Prince William in 2011 — except for when she missed the 2013 matches after a doctor told her to rest ahead of giving birth to Prince George.
That year, Murray became the first British man to win the Grand Slam in almost 80 years, ultimately securing consecutive Grand Slam titles.
Andy Murray of Great Britain practices during day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2024 in London, England.
Andy Murray in 2024. ADAM PRETTY/GETTY
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“I was sort of, ‘Maybe I could go,’ but the doctors were like, ‘No.’ I wrote to [Murray] afterward saying sorry for not being there but huge congratulations,” she said in the 2017 BBC documentary Our Wimbledon.
Elsewhere in the documentary, Kate spoke about her love for Wimbledon.
“It’s such a quintessential part of the English summer, and I think it really inspires youngsters, myself, it inspired me, when I was younger to get involved in the game,” she said in the documentary, as per Express.
Even though she missed out on his double Grand Slam titles, she was able to see Murray win his third title in 2016.
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