The Princess of Wales reflects on sweet Wimbledon memory during chat with Emma Raducanu

Publish date: 2024-06-01

Princess Kate exchanged sweet words with injured tennis player Emma Raducanu

The Princess of Wales was seen enjoying a sweet chat with former US Open winner Emma Raducanu in between watching matches during her appearance at Wimbledon on Tuesday. 

In a video posted on Twitter, Princess Kate, 41, reminisced on queueing up for the iconic tennis tournament with her father Michael Middleton and sister Pippa. "We would be there at the crack of dawn, maybe not overnight but at the crack of dawn," she told the tennis star.

WATCH: Princess Kate opens up about sweet Wimbledon memory

Chatting about the tennis star's training, the Princess added: "I bet you're itching, especially when this is all going on around you." 

Kate, who is the patron of the Lawn Tennis Association and regularly attends Wimbledon, had also welcomed former champion Roger Federer to the Royal Box on Centre Court. He took a seat next to the Princess, who stood clapping as the 41-year-old arrived at the scene of his eight titles for the first time since he retired last September. 

SEE: Wimbledon 2023 - Best photos from Roger Federer's return to other celebrity guests 

British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was imprisoned in Iran for six years, sat behind them. They joined spectators in watching Elena Rybakina, the defending women's champion, begin her title defence against American Shelby Rogers. Afterwards, they watched an all-British clash, with Sir Andy Murray playing against fellow Briton Ryan Peniston. 

The Princess said of her visit in a tweet: "There's nothing quite like the first week of Wimbledon. Fantastic to join the crowds watching @katiecboulter on Court 18 and @andy_murray on Centre Court." 

READ: Andy Murray opens up about career sacrifices wife Kim made to support him 

Last month, the Princess highlighted the important role of the Ball Boys and Girls of Wimbledon, as she played in a doubles match with the eight-time Wimbledon champion. The Princess has a passion for tennis, that is shared by many members of the royal family. 

Speaking about the skills you learn during BBG training, Kate said: "Wimbledon is renowned for its amazingly professional Ball Boys and Ball Girls, the amount of work it takes, it's incredible to see it behind the scenes." She added: "With all the discipline and everything you've learned, you'll be able to take it into so many other parts of your life, things like confidence and that feeling of pride with being on any of the courts is such a big moment." 

Sharing his own admiration for the Ball Boys and Girls, Roger added: "This is proper practice; I'm really impressed at how much effort and training goes into being a ball kid during The Championships. I used to be a ball kid in Basel when I was 9 or 10 and as I have always said: Once a ball kid always a ball kid."

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