Princess Kate surprised Wimbledon fans yesterday when she unexpectedly rocked up for a day at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The royal stood out from the tennis whites in a striking cobalt blue suit, which appeared to be designed by Gabriela Hearst, looking flawless just days after her impressive Three Peaks Challenge. The royal took time to greet fans and was full of poise as she smiled and waved while navigating the grounds. But, did you notice that she broke with a royal tradition while she was there?
In the afternoon, Kate took a seat in the stands to enjoy a match alongside tennis great Andy Murray. Interestingly, they chose to observe a match taking place on Court One, instead of heading to Centre Court and making a beeline straight for the Royal Box. Instead, Kate and Sir Andy settled down in regular seats to watch British sportswoman Katie Swan take on Madison Keys from the US. Sadly, Katie was knocked out of the competition by Madison following a 6-1, 6-4 loss.
© Visionhaus/Getty ImagesMeanwhile, in the Royal Box on Centre Court was Ellie Goulding, hitmaker Cliff Richard and Keane lead singer Tom Chaplin. Previous days have seen the likes of Sir David Beckham, the Duke of Kent, Katherine Jenkins, and Tess Daly all admire matches from the comfort of the Royal Box.
© WireImageRoyal Box rules
There are strict dress code rules inside the Royal Box, which include no trainers, no denim, no graphic T-shirts, and no sportswear. Hats are also forbidden, likely to avoid restricting the views of other spectators. There was a famous incident in 2015 when Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was turned away from the Royal Box because he was wearing a colorful shirt and a fedora without a jacket or tie.
© Getty ImagesPrincess Kate’s busy day at Wimbledon
The 44-year-old royal started her day at the SW19 hotspot by meeting people in ‘The Queue’ who had been waiting at the iconic venue since the early hours of the morning. She was also introduced to the volunteer stewards who supervise the crowds.
© Getty ImagesThere was a moment when Kate took charge to scan the tickets of people entering the tennis club—just imagine being welcomed to Wimbledon by the future Queen!
Then, she met with children from the Shine Camera Club. The club is a creative photography programme based within the charity, SHINE Merton. It supports children from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop confidence, creativity, and self-expression through photography. The Princess spent time admiring the photographs that the children had taken during their time there.
