Here come the girls! Wasn’t that a sight on Sunday?
The Princess of Wales at Wimbledon’s Centre Court flanked by her younger sister, Pippa, and her daughter, Charlotte. Charlie’s Angels. Kate’s first solo engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis.
It was as though the Spice Girls had reunited and staged a comeback.
Kate with her younger sister, Pippa, and her daughter, Charlotte, at Wimbledon on Sunday
The biggest boost for the national psyche was seeing the princess at her best smiling, graceful and gracious, writes Liz Jones
Girl power amid a swirl of testosterone, what with the men’s singles final about to start and the football final later that evening.
We know what Kate was wearing the Cecilia midi dress by London-based Safiyaa. The LK Bennett bag. The Victoria Beckham sunnies. All of which were a much-needed shot in the arm for our economy. Goodness, even Charlotte’s sunglasses created a shopping spree.
On Monday morning, desperate mums were already on social media, pleading for details as daughters clamoured for a pair (they were Ray-Ban, by the way.)
But the biggest boost for the national psyche was seeing the princess at her best smiling, graceful and gracious.
A-list celebrities including Tom Cruise, Benedict Cumberbatch and Julia Roberts joined a standing ovation from the 15,000-strong Wimbledon spectators as she arrived.
I can’t think of anyone who would elicit such a genuinely warm response or set so many famous necks craning.
Not Taylor Swift too ubiquitous. Not Meghan too divisive.
The applause was a release of tension, a collective sigh of relief that Kate is doing well and all is right with the world. And, also, a very clear sign that she is genuinely loved.
My favourite shots of the day were not the action photos taken on court but the photos that showed Pippa and Charlotte gazing at Kate in awe and admiration.
Sister and daughter looked so proud, grateful to be there as quiet moral support. Charlotte is said to have been a huge comfort during her mother’s treatment.
Charlotte is said to have been a huge comfort during her mother’s treatment
A-list celebrities Tom Cruise and Benedict Cumberbatch at the Wimbledon final played on Centre Court
Sisters, mothers everywhere would have given each other extra hugs at the sight of these three girls.
This vision of Kate the dimples, the easy smile, the conker hair, the animated chat with the ball girls and boys at the prize-giving ceremony (what on earth does she find to say? How does she never look bored?) was like the sun coming up at a dark, confusing time.
Kate’s appearance on Sunday might have seemed like a jolly to some. An easy stretch from limo to seat in the Royal Box. No ticket required, no parking the car, no queuing.
But who on earth would want to be so much on display after such a difficult few months?
The bravery she showed merely in turning up was off the scale.
And to face the occasion with such grace, such soft charm took a courage that reminded me of the late Queen Mother stepping out among the rubble of the East End during the Blitz.
Kate knew it was her job to be there, to be elegant and stoic in a time of hardship wearing purple, a colour that is both royal and so very Wimbledon.
We needed to see her and to cling to her as to a rubber ring in a tsunami.
The photo she released of Charlotte and little Louis in their England shirts watching the Euros final later that evening was understated. Nothing was over-egged.
It was normal. And, my God, we need normal right now.
Hers is the hardest job in the world – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Kate cannot turn up looking tired, badly dressed, creased, cross, impatient, anything less than cheerful. She cannot reveal her cracks.
The late Queen Elizabeth knew this. Any chink in the armour is pounced upon these days by eagle-eyed social media warriors.
Kate’s appearance on Sunday, so cheery in this damp, cold summer, served to remind us how much we have missed her.
The silhouette, the genuine smile.
If she can do this, we can do this. We can get out of bed, breathe in and out, get dressed, turn up, try to look our best, carry on.
Kate smashed it, and so can we.
