IT WAS only the second time she stepped out publicly this year and as Kate, Princess of Wales, took her seat in the front row of the royal box at Wimbledon the crowd rose to their feet to give her a standing ovation.
Stunning in a purple dress from London-based luxury brand Safiyaa, a radiant, smiling Kate waved to the crowd. She looked visibly moved and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, beamed up at her with pride.
The other person by Kate's side at her surprise appearance at the Wimbledon men's singles final was the person sources have described as the future queen's closest ally - her sister, Pippa Middleton Matthews.
The 40-year-old is said to have been Kate's "rock" during the "incredibly tough" months of her cancer treatment.
"Pippa has been something of an angel and backbone for Catherine," an insider said.
"She's there at the drop of a hat, helping to pick up the slack on physical tasks when needed. But it's the emotional support she provides that is invaluable to Catherine." Their bond has been likened to the one shared by the late Queen Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret.
"They are genuinely best friends who understand each other and [Pippa is someone] who Catherine can trust implicitly." The sisters have always been extremely close, and the bond they shared in childhood was carried through into adult life.
They lived together in a Chelsea flat in their twenties, Pippa was matron of honour at Kate's wedding, and they also shared the journey into motherhood.
But the 42-year-old princess' battle with an undisclosed form of cancer has seen their bond become unbreakable.
It has tested Kate both physically and mentally, and insiders says she's been leaning on her sister more and more.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 1 August 2024 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 1 August 2024 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
BALLON IN THE BAG
Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football
IT WAS ALL A LIE
A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country
AGREE TO DISAGREE
Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book
PAUSE THE CLOCK
Researchers have discovered that the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60. Here's what you can do to slow it down
MPOOMY ON TOP
We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success
MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court
MATT THE RECLUSE
A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight
A LEAP OF FAITH
After her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute she thought she'd never trust a man again-but now she's found love
THEY'RE MY KIDS!
This West Coast woman treats her monkeys as iftheyre humans and animal activists are not happy about it
