Kate, Princess of Wales looks set to continue her role of presenting the Wimbledon trophy to the champion even if a Russian of Belarusian player wins this year. It comes as the All England Club is expected to announce a decision on allowing players from the two nations to compete after they were banned last year.
The Princess is the patron of the All England Club, and her duties involve presenting the trophies to the champions of the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles events. There has previously been some concern over a member of the Royal Family seen engaging with an athlete from Russia or Belarus, with players from the two counties banned from Wimbledon in 2022.
But the club is expected to announce a decision on whether or not the ban will continue this year, with reports stating that Russians and Belarusians will be allowed to return as neutral athletes. And according to The Times, the Princess will also continue her duty of handing the trophy to the winner even if they hail from Russia or Belarus.
Kensington Palace has reportedly been informed throughout the decision-making process for the 2023 Championships, with no indication that the Princess will not attend the finals weekend on July 15 and 16.
If Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to compete this year, it is likely that at least one of them could be crowned the champion. WTA world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka hails from Belarus and will be one of the favourites for the title after winning the Australian Open in January.
ATP world No 5 Daniil Medvedev from Russia will also be a contender for the title at the All England Club and already has a Grand Slam title under his belt, winning the 2021 US Open. Last year, the Princess presented the Venus Rosewater Dish to Moscow-born Elena Rybakina.
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