Princess Kate Once Begged to Attend Wimbledon for Historic Match—But Was Banned

The reason makes sense.

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Kate Middleton in a yellow dress presenting a trophy to a tennis player
(Image credit: Getty)

The Princess of Wales is a well-known tennis aficionado, and Wimbledon is an annual event on her calendar—including this week. In addition to being a true fan of the sport, Kate is also patron of All England Lawn Tennis Club, and for the past few years, she’s made several visits to the club during the tournament and has been on hand to present the singles winners with their trophies, The Mirror reports.

Ten years ago, despite her pleas to be allowed to attend, Kate missed Wimbledon for a very important reason—but, in the process, missed a huge, historic win. In 2013, Andy Murray made it to the men’s singles final “and was gunning to become the first British man to win the Grand Slam since Fred Perry in 1936,” The Mirror writes. “Kate, it seems, was eager to be at Wimbledon to cheer him on but was heavily pregnant with Prince George at the time, so she was advised to watch the match from home.” 

Kate Middleton handing a trophy to a tennis player at Wimbledon

(Image credit: Getty)

Wimbledon typically occurs the first week of July; George was born on July 22 of that year. On the BBC documentary Our Wimbledon, Kate recounted the moment to host Sue Barker: “I was very heavily pregnant with George, so I wasn’t able to turn up,” she said.

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Barker replied, “But you had a great excuse!” to which Kate responded “I know, but even still. I was sort of ‘Maybe I could go’ but the doctors were like ‘no.’ I wrote to [Andy Murray] afterwards saying sorry for not being there, but huge congratulations.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton smile at Wimbledon

(Image credit: Getty)

Kate Middleton in a pink dress sitting watching tennis

(Image credit: Getty)

Three years later, when Murray made the final again, Kate was able to be there for his second Wimbledon title, which she attended alongside husband Prince William. “Many congratulations—it was a great game,” Kate told Murray after the match. William added “So pleased for you, well done” before Kate added “You can relax with your family now.”

Kate Middleton and Prince George watch Wimbledon

(Image credit: Getty)

And in a full circle moment, son George has attended the tournament with his mom, even though he couldn’t attend with her in 2013.

Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.