Kate Middleton rubs shoulders with sports icon at Wimbledon after William joins King and Queen

Kate Middleton hugged and posed for photos with fans as she arrived at Wimbledon on Thursday.

Kensington Palace released multiple photos of the Princess of Wales’ latest royal engagement, with one showing the future queen sitting with Andy Murray, a former professional tennis player and a British sporting icon.

The princess wore a double-breasted bright blue suit and styled her hair into a ponytail, dazzling crowds who cheered when they saw her on day four of the tournament.

“Returning to Wimbledon and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and stopping off to visit the dedicated spectators hoping for a chance to attend today’s matches,” read the caption for an Instagram post shared on the official account of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Many people, who were hoping to get their hands on tickets in queues, were surprised to see the Princess of Wales distributing them.

Wimbledon reserves a handful of tickets for same-day purchase, with some fans camping out the night before in Wimbledon Park in a bid to get their hands on a pass.

Princess Kate arrived at Wimbledon a day after Prince William joined King Charles and Queen Camilla at the annual Thistle Service at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland.