Prince George attended
Wimbledon on Sunday for the first time, and as well as watching the men’s
singles final he also met the winner of the match, seven
time-champion Novak Djokovic.
While BBC viewers couldn’t
hear what the young Prince was saying to the Wimbledon champion, he
appeared to be holding his own as the Cambridges chatted to and shook hands
with the talented player.
George may have secretly been
a little overwhelmed by the encounter, however, as he could just be seen
running off afterward and sitting down on a nearby sofa before putting
his hands over his face and looking awestruck – how sweet!
It was the young Prince’s
first time at the tournament, although he and his siblings are all known to
play tennis, and he has previously – if briefly – played with the
legendary Roger Federer.
He appeared delighted to
be in the royal box on Sunday for a four-set thriller which saw Novak
triumph over Aussie contender Nick Kyrgios.
George was lucky to get the
opportunity to sit in such a plum location, however, as only very few children
have ever done so. Spaces in the royal box are limited and often offered to
people from within the tennis community, including former players and
officials.
That means that only the
children of members of the royal family are allowed in the royal box. In 1999,
it was reported that the Duchess of Kent was offended after she challenged this
tradition.
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George was awestruck after the meeting
She wished to invite the
12-year-old son of her late friend to sit with her, but then request was turned
down. A statement released by then-club chairman John Curry apologized to the
Duchess but emphasized Wimbledon’s rules.
It read: “I regret any
unintentional hurt this may have caused to her Royal Highness. 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”.
