16 JULY 2025 | Father Jim Sichko, a Catholic priest from Lexington in Kentucky, USA shared his story of the viral 'i love you kate' moment at the Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles Finals and how much the Princess' acknowledgement of the gesture meant to him.
On seeing the Waleses that day he said :
"It was very interesting. They came out, and I didn't know Prince William was there. Then, as I was looking, I said, 'Oh my gosh, that looks like Prince William.' And everyone around me said, 'Yes, they're here as a family,' "
They were there until the end. Then she came out and greeted all the children and took time with them. Let me tell you, you can tell if someone is authentic and she is authentic. What you see is what you get. You can't make up those types of emotions and conversations and exchanges."
Speaking about the "I love you, Kate", he said :
"She stepped out and then there was just this moment of silence, and I screamed out, 'I love you, Kate!' I didn't know if anyone heard. I did not even realize that she made any type of response to it,.
Then I was worried, because I didn't hear anything afterwards, and I was like, 'Oh my goodness, did anyone hear that? Did it fall on deaf ears?' And then I posted on social media and said to the people who follow me, 'I just want you to know if you were watching — I did this and I want to apologize if it did not sound appropriate, but I was just caught up in the moment.'
Someone sent me the PEOPLE story and that's when I saw the response. I started Googling and people were showing how she was so excited and thrilled and smiled and laughed. It was very moving for me because again, it happened so quickly. I didn't see her reaction because I just freaked out and time didn't stop, it just kept going"
He called it a joyful moment that he’ll never forget :
"There was laughter. It was a moment of true spontaneity. There was joy in the air. There was much excitement in her being present as well as with the two winners"
"She was very composed, very professional. You could tell she was very much at home. She looked very well. She was on spot. I loved how she greeted all the children."
Father Sichko is cancer survivor who has faced both kidney and prostate cancer and while necessarily a follower of the tennis world or the royal family said that he has great respect for The Princess of Wales, in part, because they have both navigated cancer :
"I'm in the spotlight in some aspects, but in a much lower form, because I speak constantly. I travel 300 days a year, and so, to know that you have to put on that face, you have people watching you. There's a sense of you have to step up. She could have not paid my shout-out any attention. She could have totally ignored it. She could have even looked in a way of, 'What are you doing? It must be an American.' There was none of that. It was just in fact, the exact opposite, and it proved what my intuition told me, that she has a heart, that she cares that she is in this role and that it's something that she lives and exudes."
Speaking about the Princess's transparency about her own cancer journey, he said :
"It resonates because she could have kept all of that quiet. She could have decided that this is not something we're going to share, but by her sharing her own journey and her treatment, and by her willingness to be present, she is doing a lot to heal not only herself, but others, mentally, spiritually, and figuratively.
She is sending a message that everyone is vulnerable, and through that vulnerability, you embrace it, you persevere, and you do what you got to do, and that provides strength and hope for people."
Sichko said he felt compelled to share his story now so that others could learn the deeper meaning of the moment 'he will always cherish' :
"It was amazing because all these stories started popping up of this exchange, and I was like, 'That was me.' It wasn't someone who just had too many Pimm's at a game and was just randomly screaming out.
There was a sense of such respect and an honor at this woman, at this individual, who happens to be a princess and who happens to really exhibit what I believe the world needs in a time of great despair. Our world is in a real difficult place right now, and I believe that she exhibits hope and love and radiance, and that's what we need in the world."
Cancer survivor Father Jim Sichko from Kentucky shouted out to Kate Middleton at Wimbledon — and exclusively tells PEOPLE all about the now-