Princess Charlotte Reacts as Mom Kate Middleton Receives Standing Ovation at…see more

Princess Charlotte Reacts as Mom Kate Middleton Receives Standing Ovation at Wimbledon: See the Emotional Photo
The Princess of Wales had a special guest with her as she made a rare public appearance amid her cancer treatment

Kate Middleton’s biggest fan might be her daughter, Princess Charlotte.

The Princess of Wales, 42, stepped out at Wimbledon on July 14, marking a rare public outing as she continues cancer treatment. Accompanied by 9-year-old Charlotte, the two princesses met people associated with the event before heading to the Royal Box at Centre Court to watch the men’s singles final, a repeat of last year’s championship matchup between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Rounding out the girls’ day out at Wimbledon was Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton.

As they took their seats in the front row of the Royal Box, the crowd rose to their feet, giving Princess Kate a standing ovation. Princess Charlotte beamed with pride at her mom, who waved with a smile, visibly moved. The applause resonated deeply, marking a rare and emotional public appearance for Kate amid her cancer treatment.
Karwai Tang, the photographer who captured the sweet moment, tells PEOPLE: “When [Kate] usually comes in, she walks down the steps and into her seat. She doesn’t normally stand and wave. But she stood for a while and took it all in. For her to acknowledge it and take in the applause was special.”

“She seemed to look no different from the last Wimbledon. It felt like she is back,” he adds. “For them to cheer and clap when they came in was a great support for her. Wimbledon had been waiting with bated breath for her to return and she was back.”

Tang also captured another touching moment between the mother and daughter after Charlotte and Pippa came back to their seats after taking a break from the match.

“[Charlotte] skipped down the stairs and when she got back to her seat — she was laughing. She leaned over and must have told her mom what it was about and they were giggling together and having a good old laugh,” he says.

Of the family outing, Tang says, “You can tell that all three of them were enjoying themselves — Charlotte is following the game like her mother. You can see their excitement.”

While Princess Kate sported a purple dress by Safiyaa that matched her bow tie pin representing her role with the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Princess Charlotte wore a polka dot blue dress with her hair in her signature style: a half-up ‘do with two braids pinned back with a bow.