It’s the last day of Wimbledon, and the Princess of Wales—not just an avid tennis fan and skilled tennis player herself, but also patron since 2016 of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club—was on hand to close out the annual event, wearing green, as she has on all three of her appearances at the tournament this year. But she didn’t come alone—today she brought husband Prince William and her two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who made her Wimbledon debut. (Kate’s youngest, Prince Louis, hasn’t made his own Wimbledon debut yet, but his mom did wear a subtle tribute to him at yesterday’s appearance.)
While this was Charlotte’s very first time at the tournament, it was George’s second—he attended last year with his parents, as well. For the occasion, Kate wore a dress by Roland Mouret, while George and Charlotte kept to the “Wales blue” color theme (if you haven’t noticed, the Wales family of five wears a lot of blue). William, for his part, was in a light gray linen suit.
As part of her duties as patron, Kate awarded the iconic gold Wimbledon Trophy to the winner of the men’s singles final (the day before, she presented the Venus Rosewater Dish to Marketa Vondrousova, the winner of the women’s singles final). The men’s singles final all came down to Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, and as of the writing of this article, the match was still in play.
Per People, “George seemed dazzled by the Wimbledon Trophy—as any kid would be!—when he got to see it up close.”
As the four took their seats at Centre Court’s Royal Box, crowds cheered, reports The Mirror. And, while the Wales four and the crowd seemed happy, there is one five-year-old boy in the U.K. who is not incredibly pleased today. Speaking to Ella Ottaway, who is the Children, Young People, and Families Coordinator at Wimbledon, Kate said “It’s Charlotte’s first time. George came last year. They’ve been eagerly watching. Charlotte, you’ve been getting to grips with the scoring, haven’t you? Louis was very upset he wasn’t coming today.”
His tender age is likely why Louis wasn’t in attendance today. George was nearly nine years old when he made his Wimbledon debut last year, and Charlotte is eight. But, according to 16-year-old Wimbledon ball boy Joel (per The Daily Express), Kate told him that Louis has been practicing being a ball boy himself: “He [Louis] tries to practice the standing and staying serious like us,” Joel said. (Louis? Serious? What?) “He tries to practice the stands and how we stand at the back of the court and next to the players.” Maybe Louis is practicing at the Wales’ country home, Anmer Hall, where there is a tennis court installed.
In addition to the experience of just being there, George and Charlotte were given gifts to remember the day, The Mirror reports, being handed goodie bags after their arrival.
For her Wimbledon debut, Charlotte donned the blue and white floral Friki Alitas Dress, priced at $226 and handmade in Spain. Her white ballerina flats—fastened with a buckle and strap across the middle—are the Siena shoes by Papouelli, which retails between $111 and $115. She accessorized with dusty pink sunglasses from The Flyers | FLEXI, which run about $27.
