Prince Michael of Kent, the ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, former Wimbledon champion, Martina Navratilova, and TV quiz show hosts Richard Osman and Alexander Armstrong are just some of the guests in the Royal Box on the opening day of the 2022 Wimbledon tournament.
The Royal Box, which is located on Centre Court at the legendary SW19 sports venue, has 74 seats reserved for the royal family and invited guests of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC).
Wimbledon organisers handed out hundreds of free tickets to Ukrainian refugees in a bid to welcome them to their new homes last week.
In a couple of weeks, the special ticketholders will be able to spend the day at No.1 Court, an opportunity to see some “amazing tennis”, according to Wimbledon Foundation head Paige Murphy.
She said: “It’s an incredibly proud moment for us – it’s really part of our mission… to give people a really special experience after a really traumatic few months.
“To be able to provide a unique day when they can hopefully have a bit of respite and really get some enjoyment out of it is incredibly inspiring for us.”
Who is in the Royal Box?
Other attendees include Dr Ruth March, senior vice-president at AstraZeneca, who was awarded an OBE earlier this year for her role in developing mass diagnostic tests for Covid-19.
Madelaine McTernan, the government’s new HRT Tsar who previously led the Vaccine Taskforce is also in attendance, as is the University of Oxford’s Dr Catherine Green, who helped develop the Covid-19 vaccine.
Consultant medical virologist Dr Malur Sudhanva of King’s College Hospital who was awarded an OBE for services to healthcare and science during the Covid-19 pandemic is also a guest in the box.
Astronaut Sir Tim Peake and former Formula One driver Sir Jackie Stewart are also present.
Other guests inside Monday’s Royal Box include:
Matt Downie: CEO of homeless charity Crisis
Slawek Szczepanski: Director of the Polish Family Association, which cares for Ukrainian refugees arriving in Poland and the UK
Natalie O’Rourke: Owner of Park Lane Stables for the Disabled in Teddington
Fairfax Hall and Sam Galsworthy: Founders of Sipsmith Gin
Roula Khalef: Editor of Financial Times
