UPDATED: Kate in 'Tennis Player' Dress for Zoom Call with Andy Murray

To mark what would have been the start of the Wimbledon championships, the Duchess of Cambridge joined Andy Murray and children from Bond Primary School in London for a Zoom call.

The call took place last Friday, with the Duchess calling in from Anmer Hall.

The Duchess has a connection with the school: in January 2018 she visited them to see the work of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI). The programme aims to offer more children the opportunity to experience tennis, as well as showing how participation in sport can develop the life skills and values which tennis encourages, such as teamwork, discipline and fairness.

My standout memory from that day is a very sweet one. Pupils were encouraged to welcome Kate with a handshake and hello but quickly lined up for a hug from a real life princess :)

More on the call from the Telegraph:

'Appearing at the end of the children’s tennis lesson with AELTC Head Coach Dan Bloxham, the Duchess asked them about their time in lockdown and whether they have missed their friends, hearing about their new school regime of social bubbles.
One instructor said the children had been "on fire" in training that day, with the Duchess asking "What sort of things have you been learning?"

Shown one of the drills, which involved young players running quickly on the spot, she said: "Fantastic! That's very important for your footwork isn't it?"

Speaking slowly so she could be heard over a short time delay, she asked: “Have you all missed doing lots of physical exercise and things during lockdown? What sort of things have you been able to do?”

She went on to empathise: “It's really hard isn't it, to keep that self-motivation going. It's very impressive you've kept that training going."

Hearing about the best bits of watching Wimbledon, she added: “They [players] show great sportsmanship as well. I think tennis is brilliant for that, especially Wimbledon.”

The Duchess then teased an additional special guest and dropped a few hints for the excited students: "He plays tennis for Great Britain. He's a two-time Olympic champion. He's a former world number one. Can you possibly guess who this might be?

One young boy exclaimed: "Andy Murray!" ...before none other than Andy himself appeared onscreen.

Hello! reports:

"And Andy, have you got any tips for these guys if they want to take up tennis a bit more professionally?" asked the Duchess.

“The most important thing is to have fun," he replied. "If you're enjoying it, you get more out of your lessons and your practising. Listen to your coach, that’s very important. That's the two most important things at your age. If you’re competing or playing any matches, try really hard in them. But winning and losing isn't the most important thing. Enjoying playing a sport and being active is the most important thing. If you do go on to choose it as your career obviously the winning and losing changes a bit."

He also described missing his disappointment over missing this year's big competitions, saying he was "getting old for a tennis player".

"So missing Wimbledon this week is obviously a shame," he added. "I've missed the travelling...missing seeing friends like everyone else. Family, I've not seen my mum and dad for a few months so I’m looking forward to seeing them again hopefully very soon. There's been some challenges but I guess sometimes when you go through difficult moments like this you learn to appreciate the things you maybe took for granted sometimes? I'll definitely make sure I spend more time with my family and friends when I get the opportunity."

"Exactly," the Duchess replied. "And hopefully that time is relatively near as well."

With thanks to Caroline Parr, Kate's pretty green dress is the £665 HVN Maria belted printed silk crepe de chine midi dress. It's available in limited sizing at Net-A-Porter, Farfetch and The Webster. A shorter version of the style is available at ShopBop.

Very fittingly, the dress is adorned with tiny tennis players.

The Maria style is a staple for the brand which was founded by London-born model Harley Viera-Newton. It's on sale in blue at Coltorti Boutique and reduced by 60% in yellow at Moda Operandi.

Kate accessorised with her Monica Vinader Siren Wire earrings. They remain in stock on Vinader's website for £115.

Kate completed the look with a ponytail and her Wimbledon bow.

Following the chat, Andy Murray tweeted: "Loved dropping in on this, thanks for having me." This was KP's reply:

Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend!