Inside Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte’s unique bond

Amid a sea of A-list names in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, Britain’s first family were the undisputed stars of the show.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were joined by Prince George and Princess Charlotte for the men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, with the family receiving a rapturous welcome as they appeared on Centre Court.

But it was the heartwarming interaction between Kate and Charlotte that captured the attention of observers on the day, giving an insight into their mother-daughter bond.

“You can see that they are so close,” the photographer Karwai Tang tells HELLO!. “At one point Charlotte started fanning her mum – it was really sweet. Kate gently tapped her arm to get her to stop, maybe so she didn’t cause any distraction while the players were serving. But it was a really nice bit of interaction.”

Strength and support

Indeed, Charlotte has been a much-needed support for her mother over the past year and a half. 

“Although the Princess has obviously been looking after her children during her cancer treatment and reassuring them that she is getting better, Charlotte has been a great source of strength to her,” HELLO! was previously told.

“She cheers the Princess up when she needs it most and has an uncanny ability to say the right thing at the right time. Winston Churchill once said of Queen Elizabeth that he had never seen such maturity in a child so young, and Charlotte seems to have inherited that trait from her great-grandmother, to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance.”

Karwai’s images show the two princesses chatting animatedly, laughing together and mirroring one another’s body language as they took in the twists and turns of the thrilling match.

“Engaging in shared activities strengthens their mother-daughter bond,” says the royal author Ingrid Seward. “Charlotte plays tennis, she enjoys hiking and watching rugby – all of which Kate enjoys with her.”

Ingrid also points to another clue as to the future Queen’s parenting approach – Charlotte’s fingernails were painted a pretty shade of pink for her public day out.

“The late Queen didn’t like nail polish but she was of a different generation. Obviously Kate doesn’t mind – it’s another example of them letting their daughter be like any other kid of her age. Kate is very close to all her children, but it’s lovely to see what seems to be a real, affectionate bond between her and her only daughter.”

The Princess looked healthy and relaxed as she carried out her duties as Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, introducing her children to the doubles champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool and to a ball boy and ball girl.

Kate, who took the lead, put a reassuring hand on Charlotte’s back, gently steering her to shake hands with people, while William put a hand on George’s shoulder.

“They are rightly very protective of their children, but the upside is that it’s a treat for them to attend these special events,” says Ingrid.

Words of encouragement

In a touching moment, the Princess offered words of support to 11-year-old Ambrose Caldecott, who last year had major surgery and chemotherapy to treat bone cancer and who performed the coin toss for the men’s singles final.

Kate, who is in remission from her own cancer, sympathised with how “tough” it was, adding: “What a brave boy you’ve been. Good luck today, we’ll be cheering you on.”

The Wales family also met Felipe VI of Spain, who was there to support his countryman Carlos Alcaraz, ahead of the three-hour match, which was played in blazing sunshine.

“George and Charlotte were so well behaved, they were good sports for staying out there for so long in the heat,” adds Karwai. 

“I got the impression that Charlotte is more of a tennis fan than George – she had her hands up to her mouth at some of the exciting moments, so she clearly really enjoys it.”

The young royals were also lucky enough to congratulate the new men’s singles champion Jannik after his victory, with Charlotte showing her growing confidence.

Finding her feet

Two years ago, as her mother chatted to Carlos when he took the title, Charlotte appeared to be briefly overcome by shyness, ducking behind Catherine.

But this year Charlotte and her big brother talked tennis with Jannik, even asking him to sign their tennis balls – plus one for little brother Prince Louis who did not attend.

“They’ve brought one for their brother as well,” Kate told him, as William explained, “Louis would be very upset otherwise.”

Speaking afterwards, the Italian player described the encounter as “amazing”. 

“For us tennis players it’s so nice to have them watching us. It makes it a bit more special to see how much they care about tennis and the sport itself,” he said. “It’s very, very prestigious. I’ve been lucky to meet [Catherine] and the whole family and it was a very nice moment.”

The Waleses are now beginning their summer holiday, spending time together, whether in Norfolk, Balmoral or elsewhere.

“It’s great to see that the next generation have the ability to have this strong bond, which we haven’t always seen in royal circles,” adds Ingrid – and she cites the Princess’s own upbringing as a key influence on her parenting outlook. 

“The Middletons are very together as a family and that’s what William and Kate are doing. Kate appears to be recreating the happiness and the family togetherness that she had as a child.”

Sporting summer

Royal watchers will be keeping a close eye on more major sporting events in the coming weeks, as the UEFA European Women’s Championships continue  and the Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off in August. 

And with Prince George set to celebrate his 12th birthday on 22 July, the Waleses’ break looks set to begin on a high.

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