Princess Kate breaks Wimbledon tradition with outfit choice as she makes major change | Tennis | Sport

Before entering the venue, she popped outside to greet tennis fans who had queued since the early hours in the hope of securing one of the coveted ground passes. Princess Catherine, who completed the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge last weekend to raise money for the Royal Marsden Hospital, will no doubt have sympathised with those patiently waiting for a ticket.

In 2023, the princess revealed to British number one Emma Raducanu that she used to do exactly the same, waking up at “the crack of dawn” to queue with her father, Michael, and sister, Pippa. “I used to do that. It meant so much to be able to get the ground passes and be part of the championships,” she said.

After chatting to volunteers handing out tickets, she quietly slipped away to Court 18, where she watched Britain’s Arthur Fery take on Finland’s Otto Virtanen alongside former British number one Tim Henman and All England Club chair Deborah Jevans. Those watching the princess courtside may have noticed a subtle change to her traditional Wimbledon look.

The distinctive bow reflects the official colours of the tournament and symbolises her role as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the private members’ club that hosts Wimbledon every year. It is an exclusive emblem, with only the patron, president, committee of management, vice-presidents and a handful of senior members of staff allowed to wear it.

Quite why she chose to ditch the brooch remains a mystery. A lifelong tennis fan, the princess inherited the prestigious patronage from the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2016, who held the role for 64 years.

As part of her role, she hands out the trophies to the winning men’s and women’s singles players every year and is a regular visitor to the Royal Box on Centre Court. She is understood to be a keen player herself and even had a tennis court built in the grounds of Anmer Hall, the Norfolk country home she shared with the Prince of Wales and their three children.