A royal racquet at Wimbledon! From Kate with her eyes on the ball to Princess Charlotte meeting a spaniel... the moments when the royals became the attraction at SW19

01/07/2024

With the action kicking off again today at Wimbledon after an eventful year for the royals, fans will be on the lookout for any familiar faces.

The Princess of Wales has been nearly every year since 2011 and is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club - though it's not been confirmed if she will make an appearance this time due to her cancer treatment.

Other royals will likely be more than willing to pick up the slack though. The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh Queen Camilla are all tennis fans and have been spectators at Wimbledon.

Though the late Queen Elizabeth was patron of the All England Club for more than 60 years, she only attended four times - but she did meet tennis greats Serena Williams and Roger Federer in 2010.

Her great-grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, have also been to watch.

So, the proceedings begin again, here is a look back at some of the royals' top moments at Wimbledon.

A curtsy for the Queen

[video_shortcode_video_html_5 src="https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2024/06/24/7475379561958257267/1024x576_MP4_7475379561958257267.mp4" itemprop="image" content="https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2024/06/24/7475379561958257267/1024x576_MP4_7475379561958257267.mp4" data-src="https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2024/06/24/7475379561958257267/1024x576_MP4_7475379561958257267.mp4"]

In 2010, the Queen attended Wimbledon for what would be the last time, and was introduced to Serena Williams.

The former tennis champion, wearing white, was seen giving the monarch a respectful curtsey.

She previously said: 'I've been working on my curtsy. It's a little extreme - I get very low. I'm going to have to tone it down a bit.'

Serena bowed in a curtsy for the Queen and previously revealed that she had even been practising for the moment

Kate sheds tears as unlikely winner pulls through

In last year's women's singles final, Tunisia's Tunisian Ons Jabeur lost her second final in a row.

This time, it was to the unseeded Czech Republic player Markéta Vondrousova.

And Kate, who was watching in person, was clearly moved by the battling performance as she was seen in tears after Jabeur's defeat.

In last year's women's singles final, Tunisia's Tunisian Ons Jabeur lost her second final in a row. Kate, who was watching in person, was clearly moved by the battling performance as she was seen in tears

Tennis-loving Kate focused on the match

In an amusing clip from last year, Kate appeared completely focused on the match she was watching, so much so that she turned her head left to right alongside the crowd.

The Princess's gaze was perfectly in sync with the spectators around her as she took in the action.

For the occasion, she wore a mint £1,950 Balmain blazer paired with a smart pleated white skirt.

The Princess of Wales appeared completely focused on the match she was watching last year

She wore a mint £1,950 Balmain blazer paired with a smart pleated white skirt

Kate and Sophie smile with Serena Williams

The Princess of Wales was first introduced to former tennis champion Serena Williams in 2016 alongside Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.

The trio marked the occasion by posing for a video together. Serena was seen placing her arm around Kate's waist and smiling for the camera.

'OK so I'm in the "in crowd" now,' Serena said, as she poses with Kate, who looked radiant in a yellow dress, 'I'm with royalty.'

Kate then gestured to one side and Sophie joined them and cuddled up to Kate in a candid moment.

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, also joined the fun and smiled next to Kate

Tennis champion Serena Williams posed for a video with the Princess of Wales in 2016

The pair attended Wimbledon together and were pictured laughing during the game

Tennis enthusiast Kate meets a sporting legend

Ahead of Andy Murray's match on Centre Court in 2017, Kate met tennis legend Martina Navratilova.

The then Duchess of Cambridge looked thrilled to meet Martina, who won 18 grand slam singles titles in her career.

The former champion asked Kate if she was left-handed, prompting her to make a swinging motion as she said, 'no, right-handed!'

The Princess of Wales met tennis legend Martina Navratilova ahead of Andy Murray's match on Centre Court in July 2017

Tennis enthusiast Kate also chatted to Kim Clijsters, second right

William and Kate together at Wimbledon

The Prince and Princess of Wales looked radiant together when they attended Wimbledon in July 2021.

They watched Ashleigh Barty triumph in the final and the occasion marked Kate's first outing after she had to self isolate due to coming in contact with a Covid-infected person.

The pair were seen sharing jokes and laughing together in the royal box, with Kate cutting an elegant figure in an emerald green gown.

The Prince and Princess of Wales pictured together in the Royal box at Wimbledon together in July 2021

The pair laughed and joked together during the women's singles final on day 12 of the tennis championships

Prince George joins in with the tennis fun

Prince George attended the men's Wimbledon final in 2022 with Kate and William.

The young Prince, wearing a smart suit, followed the pair and shook hands with people at the event.

Later on, he even got his hands on the trophy as his parents chatted to champion Novak Djokovic about his win.

Novak Djokovic chats with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their son Prince George

Kate Middleton, Prince George and Prince William sat together at Wimbledon in 2022

Queen Camilla has some sound advice for a ball girl

Queen Camilla attended the All England Lawn and Tennis Club in July 2023 to watch Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina - and then Carlos Alvaraz and Rune Holger - battle it out on Centre Court.

During her visit, she shared some advice with a ball girl to remain as agile as possible to keep up with the physically demanding job.

She also joked about how she had once been in the same position as a ball girl - but joked those days were '100 years ago'.

The Queen wore Wimbledon white in a knee-length dress with navy piping.

Queen Camilla at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club last year where she met ball boys and girls taking part in Wimbledon - and she shared her words of wisdom

Her Majesty shared some advice with a ball girl to remain as agile as possible

Young fan says 'Hi Princess' to Kate

During a visit to Wimbledon last year, Kate had a heartwarming interaction with a young boy who sweetly greeted the princess.

In an attempt to catch Kate's attention, the youngster softly shouted 'Hi Princess!'

Kate immediately stopped and went to talk for him.

The Princess asked, 'What's your name?', before adding: 'Have you had a fun day?'

She then turned her attention to the little boy's toy that he had in his hands, asking: 'What's this? Very cool. I like that.'

Before leaving the area, a beaming Kate, who had bent down so she was at eye-level, added: 'Nice to meet you.'

The Princess of Wales was sweetly greeted by a young fan during her outing to Wimbledon last year

Wearing a mint blazer, the Princess stopped and waved at the young boy before walking over to him

Princess Charlotte joins in at Wimbledon for the first time

Keen to join in with the family tradition, Princess Charlotte went to Wimbledon for the first time last summer.

She joined her parents, William and Kate, as well as Prince George.

The Princess greeted people before stopping to make a fuss of Stella, a springer spaniel police dog.

Keen to join in with the family tradition, Princess Charlotte went to Wimbledon for the first time last summer. The Princess greeted people before stopping to make a fuss of Stella, a springer spaniel police dog

Princess Charlotte and Prince George were gifted goody bags from staff at the All England Club

Before taking their seats in the Royal Box, both Charlotte and her brother George received goody bags from staff at the All England Club.

They then watched Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz triumph over Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final.

Both young royals punched the air in delight when Alcaraz sealed victory.

The pair punched the air in delight to celebrate Carlos Alcaraz's maiden Wimbledon title in the five-set epic

OTHER NEWS

20 minutes ago