Princess of Wales tells tennis pro: You were amazing to play through cancer

The Princess of Wales has told a Wimbledon player that she is “amazing” to have played through cancer treatment.

The Princess, 44, arrived at SW19 on Saturday afternoon to enjoy her second day at the Championships as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).

While speaking to Gabriella “Gaby” Dabrowski, a Canadian pro who went through breast cancer treatment in 2024, the Princess told her she was “very inspirational”.

She also told the tennis star that “what she loves about sport is that you can still prove that your body is strong”, even while going through cancer.

Speaking after their conversation, Dabrowski said: “In 2024 I went through breast cancer treatment, and I guess someone told her, because she acknowledged that and said it was amazing that I was still playing while going through treatment.

“She said it was very inspirational … I feel the same about her story as well.”

During her meet and greet on the players’ lawn, the Princess also spoke to Thea Stach, who performed the coin toss for the ladies’ wheelchair singles final on No.1 Court.

Bending down to speak to 12-year-old Thea, who uses a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy and autism, the Princess comforted her as she became overwhelmed. 

Thea’s mother, Loi, said afterwards that the Princess had asked about what she had done that day and that “she loved Thea’s skirt, and that she wished that she had worn her [tennis] skirt too”.

Speaking about Thea’s emotional reaction to meeting the Princess, Loi added: “I think she’s a bit overwhelmed. I think the whole day has been so amazing…inside I know she’s really, really excited, but because it’s all so new and it’s all so big, I think she’s having trouble.”

Saturday marked the Princess’s second appearance at the Championships this year as patron of the AELTC.

Wearing a strawberry-red dress and a Wimbledon pin, the Princess stopped on the players’ lawn before watching the Ladies’ Singles final on Centre Court.

While speaking to Dabrowski, she also discussed her recent completion of the Three Peaks Challenge, in which the Princess scaled Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within 24 hours, to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and to highlight the benefits of holistic healing.

Dabrowski, who is now in remission, said that when they discussed the gruelling personal endeavour, the Princess underlined the power of sport for those experiencing illness.

She said: “That’s what [the Princess] was saying – that what she loves about sport is that you can still prove that your body is strong, and so I think that was really cool to hear from her. I love that she loves her sport.”

The pro athlete added: “It was a very beautiful moment; I didn’t expect to be emotional.”

After the meet-and-greet on the players’ lawn, the Princess departed to prepare to watch Karolina Muchova compete against Linda Noskova for the Venus Rosewater Dish on Centre Court.

At the end of the match, in which both players are competing for their first Wimbledon title, the Princess will present the trophy to the winner.

Last week, she also surprised tennis fans by personally selling Wimbledon tickets to members of the public who had been in the SW19 queue since the early hours.

The Princess said the queue made the sporting event accessible, and told attendees to “have a really fun time” before heading into the grounds, where she received a round of applause and cheers while walking past guests watching the tennis on Henman Hill.

She also took part in a special royal edition of the Overheard at Wimbledon series, in which attendees are given a hidden microphone that records conversations for the social media accounts of the AELTC.

The Princess was recorded in discussion with Tim Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, and Deborah Jevans, the chairman of the AELTC, while watching British wildcard Arthur Fery for about 30 minutes on Thursday.