Princess Kate’s connection with Swiss tennis legend, Roger Federer, dates back over a decade, as Kate became patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2016. Since then, Kate and Federer have shared the court and the royal box multiple times.
Their friendship seems to be quite strong, with Federer even attending the wedding of Kate’s sister Pippa to James Matthews in 2017. That same year, together with Prince William, Kate personally congratulated Federer on his Wimbledon victory after his historic win.
The-then Duchess surprised fans by giving him not one, not two, but three kisses to celebrate his accomplishment, as the star showed off his trophy, with the tennis star then sharing a friendly handshake with Prince William.
In 2023, the pair sat together in the royal box. Federer once reflected, “It was so fun sitting next to Princess Catherine. I know her quite well. She is an avid tennis fan, and she plays herself.”
In a heartfelt collaboration, the same year, Kate and Federer joined forces to celebrate Wimbledon’s Ball Boys and Girls (BBGs) and the training that goes into becoming a BBG at The Championships in a short YouTube film.
The film saw Kate take part in a doubles rally with Roger on the No.3 Court before she joined the BBGs on court to participate in a training session.
Together, Kate, Roger and the children discussed what it’s like to be a BBG, the experience of going through the training programme and the lasting impacts of the skills learned.
Speaking during the film about the skills you learn during BBG training, Kate said: “Wimbledon is renowned for its amazingly professional Ball Boys and Ball Girls, the amount of work it takes, it’s incredible to see it behind the scenes.”
On June 30, tennis fans will flock to SW19 and it is very likely Kate will also attend the tennis tournament at some stage over the next two weeks.
The Princess has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, and traditionally presents the trophies to the winners of the men’s and women’s finals.
Last year, Kate did not attend the women’s singles final, and Wimbledon chairwoman Debbie Jevans presented the trophy to Barbora Krejcikova on her behalf.
The men’s singles final, however marked her second major public appearance of 2024, as she enjoyed a day out with daughter, Princess Charlotte, and sister Pippa.
