Prince William Stepped In When Prince George and Princess Charlotte Struggled to Beat the Heat at Wimbledon, Shares Fellow Tennis Fan
Even Queen Camilla's favorite fan couldn't do the trick.
Prince William and Princess Kate have made it a tradition to bring their kids to Wimbledon every year, and on Sunday, July 12, Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents for the men’s finals on an especially hot summer day. George, 12, and Charlotte, 11, tried their best to cool down with Queen Camilla-approved battery-operated fans as the temperatures reached close to 90 degrees, but with the royal box directly in the sun, it became necessary to make a quick escape.
Fortunately, Prince William jumped into “dad mode” as the Princess of Wales carried out her duties as the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC).
The Prince of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte took an extended break from the tennis action at one point during the men’s finals, according to influencer Laura-Ann Barr, whose seat faced the royal box. In a series of Instagram Stories, she pointed out that the “sun is just too much,” adding that organizers started handing out Wimbledon-branded sun hats in the royal box and Prince William had “taken the kids out for a break!”
The royals cooled down with fans during the men's singles finals on July 13.
The Princess of Wales is seen leaving the royal box in a video shared by influencer Laura-Ann Barr.
With men and boys required to wear a jacket and tie in the royal box, it’s no wonder that the future King and his heir were especially uncomfortable in the heat. Princess Charlotte eventually returned to the box in a video shared by Barr on her Story, but then the Princess of Wales and her daughter left, with Barr writing that the duo likely headed off to find the others, who had been gone “30 to 45 minutes” at that point.
By the time the third set started, the royals were still missing in action, but Barr shared a video of the Wales family returning to their seats, noting it was “one hour later.”
Prince William took the kids out for a break during the sunny match.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princess Kate share a laugh during the match.
Princess Charlotte followed in Queen Camilla's footsteps and was on double fan duty once she was settled in, pointing a white plastic fan at herself while also using a traditional paper fan. Meanwhile, Prince George held a battery-operated fan in front of his face during the match, and Princess Kate—wearing her old favorite L.K. Bennett sun hat—did the same.
Despite the uncomfortable temperatures, George and Charlotte appeared to be having a great time at the men's finals, laughing as they donned their Wimbledon hats and cheering for their mom as the Princess of Wales presented the trophy to Jannik Sinner.
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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.