When it came to Wimbledon, few in the Royal Family had a greater relationship with the prestigious Grand Slam than Katharine Kent, the Duchess of Kent. The Duchess, who has sadly passed away at the age of 92, made few public appearances over the last few years of her life.
However, she was once a regular at the iconic tennis tournament. Kent was often the person entrusted with handing out the prizes to the winners at SW19. In fact, over the last 30 years, Wimbledon used to be, close to, the only place she would be seen in public. She was first invited to hand out the awards in 1969 and did so all the way up until 2021, when she retired from doing so. Kent was not seen in west London this year, which saw Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek emerge from Centre Court victorious in the singles events. Despite her love and association with the tournament, she threatened a huge boycott after a disagreement with tournament organisers in 1999.
She had an awkward moment with former club chairman John Curry, who passed away in October 2024, after they denied her request to allow a 12-year-old boy to accompany her to the highly exclusive Royal Box. It’s understood the child was the son of headmaster Philip Lawrence, who was stabbed to death outside the gates of his school in London after coming to the aid of another child who was being attacked by a gang.
Despite the kindness of her gesture, she received a ‘curt letter’ informing her the boy would not be allowed within the box. This is due to the fact the Royal Box forbids children from entering, unless they are members of the Royal Family. Lady Katharine was so infuriated by the rejection and the tone of the letter, she boycotted the tournament all together.
Curry would go on to apologise, but refused to bend the rules, saying: “I regret any unintentional hurt this may have caused Her Royal Highness” before insisting he, “reconfirmed our guidelines concerning the invitation of additional guests and the subject of children.”
He also reaffirmed: “Because of demand for space in the royal box, we also ask that, apart from children of the Royal Family, children are not invited as they exclude other worthy people from attending, many of whom contribute to tennis.”
Lady Katharine would go on to respond to the letter through a royal spokesman, who said: “The Duchess has asked me to make clear that she respects the rules and regulations of the All England Lawn Tennis Club with whom she shares a wish to encourage more children and young people to watch and participate in tennis. She has also asked me to say that, as in previous years, she is much looking forward to attending next year’s championships and the next Davis Cup matches.”
After the incident, the Duchess often chose not to attend Wimbledon. However, people within her circle claimed she was not actively boycotting the tournament, instead insisting the Royal Box was not always for her.
One friend said: “It’s simply not her style. She goes there every year, often sitting with friends in the cheap seats where no one notices her.”
However, she appeared to have moved on from the incident when she passionately expressed her love for Wimbledon in a 2018 interview with the BBC. She said: “I think it is truly the best thing in the world; the atmosphere is electric. I was so frightened about going to onto Centre Court. Even just walking into the royal box is absolutely incredible. You are so close – that is amazing.”
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