Princess Catherine 'Knows The World Will Want To See Her' At Wimbledon -- But Prince William Will Have Final Say On Whether She Attends! WHAT?!

Princess Catherine may want to attend Wimbledon, but she won’t have the final call. That’s down to Prince William!

…Wait, what?

Former royal butler Paul Burrell told Closer on Wednesday that Kate Middleton “knows the world will want to see her” at the tennis tournament (which wraps up on Sunday), but because her husband is “fiercely protective” of her, he “will decide whether she’s fit enough” to attend.

She’s the one actually going through cancer treatment. Shouldn’t it be her decision if she’s “fit enough”?? We respect that he can certainly give his input, too — and that he’s protective of his wife. But come on! This reeks of the patriarchy! Just saying!

Elaborating on why the Prince of Wales will supposedly get the final say, the butler continued:

“William controls this household and William will decide whether she’s well enough to do this because he’s the one that protects the family — fiercely. There’s no way he’s going to subject Kate to intrusion that she can’t handle. He’s so fiercely protective.”

Paul added that this “absolutely” stems from losing his mother Princess Diana when he was just 15, pointing out:

“With William by her side, Kate’s safe because he will take care of her and would never let anyone harm her. I think she trusts William implicitly and he has the final say.”

Look, we understand why he might be worried. A cancer battle is NO joke. Plus, Kate’s been the center of so many conspiracy theories and rumors during her private health journey over the last few months. He probably wants to shield her from unwanted lines of questioning and invasive fans, too. Perfectly understandable. Still, the idea that he — as the man of the household — gets the final say instead of Kate as the one actually going through all the treatments is pretty wild in this day and age! Just saying!

FWIW, no decision has been made yet. Wimbledon will wrap up this weekend with the Ladies’ Singles Final on Saturday followed by the Mens’ Singles Final on Sunday. As a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and a huge tennis fan, the 42-year-old is typically in attendance and helps hand out the trophies. The organization has already said they’re giving Kate William time to decide what to do. The Telegraph has also reported that should the mother of three not be feeling up for it — or Willy makes her stay home — Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester could take her place at the trophy presentation. So, they have a backup plan! That’s good, as it gives them more time to sort things out!

All that said, Paul did say it is “highly likely” that Kate will attend since she’s a “huge tennis fan.” Well, great. Let’s just hope William lets her! Oof!!! What do you think about William having the last word?? Sound OFF (below)!

[Image via MEGA/WENN]