Kate Middleton is now on “summer break” and will be taking a pause from public engagements for a while, according to royal insiders.
On March 22, Kate announced that she had been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer and had retreated from her previous royal duties.
So, it was initially uncertain whether Middleton would attend the tournament, given her ongoing cancer treatment and having made only one other public appearance at the Trooping the Colour in early June. As the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, her appearance was highly anticipated by fans.
She ended up exceeding expectations, showing up in a stunning purple dress and sitting front and center in the Royal Box at Wimbledon for almost three hours. Princess Kate sat alongside her 9-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her sister, Pippa Middleton.
Photographer Karwai Tang, who captured the royal’s entrance, said the moment was made more special as Charlotte beamed with pride at her mum.
“She usually comes in, walks down and into her seat,” Tang recounted. “But she stood for a while and took it all in. For her to acknowledge it and take in the applause was special.”
“Wimbledon had been waiting with bated breath for her to return, and she was back,” he added.
This appearance from the mom of three and her visible message of optimism demonstrated how much she enjoyed attending the event despite the difficult changes in her life.
“This will have given her sustenance. She has gone through something awful and stressful, and it is crucial to have little wins to look forward to or to give you the courage and energy to go forward,” the palace insider says. “And this was it.”
Robert Jobson, author of the new book Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, out Aug. 6, told PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue, “She will be back, but when you have had an experience like this, it changes your perspective and the order of things,” he said.
Now that her children are out of school, royal sources told Vanity Fair that Middleton and Prince William are planning on staying “below the radar” at their Norfolk home as she continues her preventative chemotherapy.
“She won’t have to be on center stage,” a palace insider told PEOPLE. “Being with her family and just being herself will give her energy. There will be plenty of time to focus on her recovery.”
