During a touching exchange, the Princess asked the child, who overcame a brain injury last January and had to learn how to walk again, what it meant to her to perform the coin toss.
She asked if the girl had a favourite tennis player and whether she was feeling nervous.
When the Princess asked if she had any advice for her before her own appearance, the child replied: “Don’t be nervous [and] take deep breaths.”
The Princess responded: “Take deep breaths, okay, I’ll remember that. Thank you.”
Catherine, Princess of Wales, waves from the Royal Box prior to the the Ladies' Singles Final between Iga Swiatek of Poland and Amanda Anisimova of United States. Photo / Getty Images
The Princess wore a £440 ($990) Self Portrait cream bouclé bow detail midi dress, which featured a high-collared belted top and flowing pleated skirt, and carried a £950 Anya Hindmarch tote bag.
She also wore a green and purple bow – the colours traditionally associated with Wimbledon – to mark her role as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC).
She sat next to former world No 1 Billie Jean King in the Royal Box, with the pair seen in conversation throughout the match between American Amanda Anisimova and Poland’s Iga Swiatek, which the latter won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
Princess comforts defeated finalist
Following Anisimova’s defeat, the Princess told the American player she should be “so proud”, according to broadcaster Clare Balding.
Balding also suggested Anisimova may be experiencing a feeling of “borderline embarrassment”.
Giving commentary following the match as the Princess spoke to the winner, Swiatek, the broadcaster said: “And her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales getting a chance to chat face-to-face with Iga once again.
“It was very sweet actually, you could see the Princess of Wales saying to Amanda Anisimova you should be so proud, knowing that there was that real fragility there, that obviously – when you’ve been at the wrong end of a love and love hiding, there’s that feeling of almost, borderline embarrassment.”
In a press conference after the match, Anisimova said of her conversation with the Princess: “It was such an honour to meet her.
“I wasn’t sure if she was going to come out today, if she was going to be there, so it was just really nice to see her. Yeah, she definitely had a few things to say that were making me emotional again.
“But yeah, she was really kind – and she told me to keep my head high and I don’t really want to reveal everything she said to me, but I also spoke to her again after the match, because I passed by her. She had all the best to say to me.”
Catherine, Princess of Wales (left) presents Amanda Anisimova the Ladies’ Singles Runner-Up Trophy, following her defeat against Iga Swiatek of Poland. Photo / Getty Images
The US player added: “I guess it was a positive of today, and I can try and focus on that – and not the match.”
It is not the first time that a member of the royal family has consoled a defeated women’s finalist.
In 1993, the late Czech player Jana Novotna cried on the shoulder of Katherine, the Duchess of Kent’s, after losing the women’s singles title to top-seeded German Steffi Graf. The exchange was photographed and became one of the most memorable images in tennis history.
Before the match, the Princess met Wang Ziying, the women’s wheelchair tennis champion, who won her final in straight sets, and Ralp Yin, her coach.
She also met Shaniah Williams and Jefferson Iweh, who are Work at Wimbledon representatives.
The Princess spoke with Wimbledon’s longest-serving steward, Bob Flint, who has worked the Championships each year since 1980. She later waved to cheering crowds as she crossed a bridge over the grounds.
Return to public life
Her appearance at the final comes as she continues to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements after her treatment last year.
The Princess was diagnosed with cancer following a major abdominal surgery in January last year.
She retreated from public life as she underwent a course of “preventative chemotherapy”, making only occasional public appearances over the following months.
Last September, Catherine revealed she had completed her treatment. In January, she confirmed she was in remission.
Billie Jean King (left) and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Photo / Getty Images
More recently, she has gradually been increasing her workload but has made clear that her focus will remain firmly on her long-term recovery.
In recent weeks, she has made public appearances at Garter Day in Windsor and Trooping the Colour, as well as a handful of other solo engagements.
But she pulled out of a planned trip to Royal Ascot last month at the last minute after she had been expected to make a return to the racing spectacle following her absence the previous year.
She was said to be disappointed not to attend alongside her husband, the Prince of Wales, but continues to take each occasion as it comes.
Other guests at Wimbledon’s Royal Box included Kemi Badenoch, the Tory party leader, and Gordon Ramsay, the celebrity chef.
Last year, the Princess attended Carlos Alcaraz’s winning match against seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. She brought Princess Charlotte with her and was left emotional after receiving a standing ovation.
The Princess later awarded Alcaraz the trophy before a photograph posted on Wimbledon’s X account showed Charlotte shaking the hand of the champion as he held the prize.
