The "Priceless Gift" Prince Louis Was Given at Wimbledon, Despite Never Attending the Sporting Event

"That makes it royally approved," the benefactor later revealed.

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Prince Louis smiles, showing off his growing teeth, while wearing a navy suit with a white shirt and red tie
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Prince Louis makes an impact wherever he goes. From entertaining royal fans at Sandringham on Christmas Day to mimicking brother Prince George's hair flips, Prince Louis makes just about any event memorable. To date, Kate Middleton and Prince William's youngest son hasn't attended Wimbledon's tennis championship. However, Prince Louis did receive a special gift from a Wimbledon attendee, which he's unlikely to forget anytime soon.

In July 2019, Princess Kate attended Wimbledon, where she was handed an item by tennis legend Stan Smith. The gift—an Adidas Stan Smith sneaker—was signed and dedicated to Prince Louis.

Smith famously won the 1972 Men's Singles Wimbledon Championships and the 1971 US Open. In 1973, Adidas released their first sneaker featuring Smith's name, and the brand still has a line of shoes carrying his moniker to this day.

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Stan Smith, wearing a navy suit, hands a white Adidas Stan Smith sneaker to Kate Middleton, which he has signed for Prince Louis in gold ink

Stan Smith hands an Adidas sneaker to Kate Middleton.

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/Getty Images)

In a 2021 interview with GQ, Smith opened up about the moment he gave Princess Kate a pair of his Adidas sneakers for Louis. "I saw photographs of the Duchess Of Cambridge wearing the shoe and I once had the chance to chat to her at Wimbledon," the tennis legend explained. "I actually gave some shoes to the Duke and Duchess for George, Charlotte, and Louis."

Smith continued, "I presented a shoe to her at the Wimbledon tournament a few years back. I gave Prince Louis a baby-sized Stan, which said, 'To Louis from Stan Smith' on it."

Stan Smith, wearing a navy suit, hands a white Adidas Stan Smith sneaker to Kate Middleton, which he has signed for Prince Louis in gold ink

An Adidas Stan Smith sneaker gifted to Prince Louis.

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/Getty Images)

During his interview with GQ, Stan revealed he'd gifted a pair of Adidas Stan Smiths to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's son, Prince Archie. "I got a letter of thanks, which means [Meghan] got it and, interestingly, I've always heard that [Queen Elizabeth] has to approve all gifts, so that makes it royally approved by Her Majesty."

Amy Mackelden
Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.