Jannik Sinner was greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales and two of their children after winning the Wimbledon men’s singles final on Sunday night.
The champion shared a laugh with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and their parents shortly after Kate presented him with the trophy for his win against Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
George and Charlotte looked eager to chat to the 24-year-old Italian before they shook hands with the tennis star.
Meanwhile their younger brother Prince Louis, eight, was notably absent from the group as he stayed at home.
William and Kate appeared engaged in conversation with Sinner as they asked him questions while he proudly clung to his golden trophy.
Having lost the first set, Sinner won 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court to claim his second title in as many years at the All England Club.
The star, who did not have rival Carlos Alcaraz to contend with due to injury, breezed to victory in a little under four hours to become just the 10th man to retain the title in the Open era.
Kate beamed as she handed over the Wimbledon trophy to the tennis player on Sunday, as her family watched on from the Royal Box.
Princess Catherine, Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Prince George greet Jannik Sinner after his Wimbledon win
Princess Charlotte smiles as she talks to Sinner after his winning match on Sunday night
The Princess of Wales hands Italy’s Jannik Sinner the Wimbledon trophy after he wins the men’s singles title
The princess looked radiant as she wore a green dress to attend the event, and couldn’t stop smiling throughout the day.
Earlier, Kate shook hands with British player Arthur Fery, who made history by becoming the first wildcard to make it to the semi-final in 25 years.
The 5ft 9in player’s fairytale run finally came to an end after he was beaten by Zverev on Friday.
But his newfound friendship with the Royal Family has appeared to continue unabated – as he spoke of inviting William and Kate’s children to play tennis with him.
Fery said: ‘I mean the princess came to my match in the second round, it was great to have her there and we spoke a little about that. It was good to see her here and good to meet her finally.
‘She wished me good luck for the rest of the year and congratulated me for these two weeks.
‘I know the whole family are all tennis fans, so I told her if her kids ever wanted to hit, I’m free. It would be good to see them again.’
Kate initially appeared unfazed by the 29C heat beaming down on Centre Court on Sunday, until she and her family briefly disappeared before returning with woven sunhats.
Kate looks radiant in a green dress as she holds the golden trophy to hand to the winner
The Princess of Wales smiles and claps as Sinner holds his trophy in the air
Sinner puts his hands in the air as he soaks up his win at Wimbledon on Sunday evening
Charlotte and Kate turn to talk to each other while wearing their sunhats on Sunday afternoon
The Prince of Wales with Prince George in the Royal Box cooling down with a handheld fan
George used a portable fan to cool himself down while also sporting a pair of orange sunglasses to watch the match.
Kate was in attendance at Wimbledon for the men’s final last year when she handed Sinner the trophy following an enthralling four-set battle.
She was joined in the Royal Box on that occasion by her husband William, eldest son George and daughter Charlotte but Louis stayed at home.
The princess donned her ‘Wimbledon bow’ – a brooch featuring the tournament’s iconic colours.
