Wimbledon is beloved by the British royals – and for good reason! Punnets of strawberries, world-class tennis, and an unrivalled atmosphere… what's not to love.
The tournament takes place each year, and is typically attended by a plethora of royals, including Prince William and Princess Kate, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
While we're yet to catch a glimpse of the Waleses at this year's tournament, William, Kate and their two eldest children have sat courtside in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Naturally, they get some of the best seats in the house within the coveted Royal Box which sits at the south end of Centre Court. According to the official Wimbledon website, the Royal Box is used for friends and guests of Wimbledon, which includes "British and overseas royal families, heads of government, people from the world of tennis, commercial partners, British Armed Forces, prominent media organisations, supporters of tennis and other walks of life".
© Getty ImagesDespite its legacy, the Royal Box experience is often shrouded in mystery, with few details ever emerging.
On Monday, tennis great Roger Federer nonetheless shared a rare glimpse inside his experience, revealing what the Royal Box is really like for royals such as Princess Kate, Princess Charlotte and Prince George.
© Getty ImagesIn a post shared to Instagram, the former Grand Slam champ uploaded a carousel of snapshots, including one of his official invites, another that showed the athlete posing with a trophy cabinet, and a final picture that showed a classic British afternoon tea spread, featuring scones, finger sandwiches, and chocolate cakes topped with fruit.
In his caption, the 43-year-old penned: "The Championships, Wimbledon," followed by a heart emoji.
Fans and friends flooded the comments section with sweet messages. One wrote: "Wimbledon is not the same without you Roger!", while a second wrote: "Tennis royalty", and a third chimed in: "Welcome back home!"
Wimbledon: 5 surprising facts
© AFP via Getty Images1. A lot of tennis balls
Throughout the tournaments, Wimbledon goes through over 50,000 tennis balls! After the first seven games, the balls are replaced and refrigerated to maintain bounce.
2. Strawberries and cream
Tennis and strawberries are never apart throughout Wimbledon, and in fact, they only get the fruit from one supplier. Last year, Hugh Lowe Farm in Kent provided around 1.5 million strawberries over the two-week tournament.
3. Rufus the Hawk
Rufus, the hawk, has been the protector of the Wimbledon courts for the past ten years. He flies above the grounds in the early AM to chase away any pigeons to maintain a pristine court condition.
4. Prize money
The winners of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles championships will each receive £2.2 million. Additionally, the winners of every round will also receive money, ranging from £1500 for the winner of the first round of mixed doubles, up to £1.1 million for the runner-up in the final.
5. Longest match in history
In June 2010, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled for 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days, with the longest match in professional tennis history. The match totalled 183 games, and John eventually won 70-68.
Can we expect to see the Waleses this year?
While Princess Kate has been making a mindful return to royal duties, it seems likely that the mother-of-three will attend the tournament at some point this week.
© Getty ImagesShe 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.
In 2024, Kate attended the men's singles final, but did not attend the women's singles final. She was joined in the Royal Box by her daughter Princess Charlotte and her sister, Pippa Mathews.
© Getty ImagesShe presented champion Carlos Alcaraz with the winning trophy after his victory over Novak Djokovic.
