Princess of Wales delights fans at Wimbledon as she drops in on Court 18 to watch British No1 Katie Boulter
4 July 2023, 12:44
Kate has delighted fans by appearing at Wimbledon's Court 18 to back British number one Katie Boulter.
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The Princess of Wales arrived at Wimbledon for the second day of the tournament to see Boulter take on Australian Daria Saville.
Kate is the patron of the Lawn Tennis Association and the regularly attends the tournament.
Dressed in a green blazer and white skirt, she smiled and greeted two young children as she made her way in.
The Princess of Wales has arrived at #Wimbledon Here she is slipping into the stands on Court 18 at British No1 Katie Boulter's first round match. She's sat with Debbie Jevans and Laura Robson. pic.twitter.com/60uFE74Q66
— Molly McElwee (@molly_mcelwee) July 4, 2023
Footage shared online showed her taking a seat at the back of the Court 18 crowd with Debbie Jevans and Laura Robson.
She later left after it started to rain, with the match suspended and the court covered.
The royal is also heading to Centre Court on Tuesday to honour Roger Federer in a special ceremony.
Spectators will see a video montage of Federer's best moments through the years before he and his wife stay for the day’s play as special guests in the royal box.
Sally Bolton, CEO at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said on Monday: "We are pleased to say that Roger will be with us tomorrow.
"We will have a special celebratory moment on Centre Court before play starts just to honour him as the man holding the most gentlemen's singles titles here at Wimbledon.
"So for those lucky enough to have a seat on Centre Court tomorrow, I’d just encourage them to get into their seats about 1pm.
"We will have a moment just to celebrate his achievements and to say thank you, for us certainly for all the memories."
Federer has become good friends with the royals over the years and even attended the wedding of Kate's sister Pippa to James Matthews in 2017.
Wimbledon saw the highest attendance on day one of the tournament since 2015, organisers said.
But tennis fans faced waiting from the early hours into the afternoon to get into the SW19 venue.
Some 10,000 lined up as security seized deodorant and sun cream, with powders, glue, chains and cable ties also explicitly banned.
The crackdown resulted in spectators missing games they had paid to see as part of a new anti-protest plan, which has been brought in as eco-activists target major sporting events.
