The Princess of Wales began a weekend of Wimbledon with an appearance at the Women's Singles Final today.
It promises to be an exciting weekend of tennis for the Princess who made her second appearance at the tournament today to see Ons Jabeur and Markéta Vondroušová compete for the coveted title -- and a first Grand Slam win for the winner. Kate's Wimbledon 2023 appearances will conclude tomorrow at the men's singles finals when Novak Djokovic will fight to tie with Roger Federer for the most wins in the category with a potential eight singles championships.
Kate was delighted to meet Philippa George, who performed the coin toss representing Riding for the Disabled Association.
The Princess was in her element and very much enjoyed the visit in her capacity as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
In 2016, a rumour which had been doing the rounds for years finally came to fruition. News the then Duchess of Cambridge would take over as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, better known as Wimbledon was finally confirmed. The late Queen had never been a lover of tennis and given Kate's history with the tournament, it's a patronage match made in heaven. I recall Judy Murray telling The Telegraph: "It's a huge thing for tennis and for women's sport to have her in a high profile role. I'm sure she'll be a very active patron because she's a regular attender. It's very clear she loves watching and playing and that can only be good for the sport."
The Princess arrived in the Royal Box.
Esteemed company in the form of the one and only Billie Jean King.
The Waleses have a tennis court at their country home, Anmer Hall, with Kate an enthusiastic and talented player herself. Over the years she's confirmed the children are all learning. I expect the family plan to spend a good deal of the summer at their Norfolk home, where many a friendly match will be enjoyed.
There is truly something uniquely special about Wimbledon.
Over the past twelve days, we've been treated to spellbinding shots and a parade of glamorous style on display, with famous faces from around the globe in attendance.
Steeped in tradition, it is the tournament almost every player wants to win most, and it is also the only tennis major played on grass, with players donning white, as they did a century ago. It is also the only Grand Slam tournament with a Royal Box.
320,000 glasses of Pimm's are enjoyed and 140,000 portions of English strawberries consumed throughout the fortnight.
Following a heart-breaking defeat in last year's final, Tunisian Ons Jabeur roared through the tournament for another opportunity to take the trophy. Known for her sunny disposition, Ons has been fondly referred to as the "Minister of Happiness" in Tunisia. Speaking ahead of the final, she touched on the year thus far and the challenges of injuries: "I'm working on myself like crazy. You have no idea what I'm doing. I'm very tough with myself, trying to improve everything. Very impatient sometimes, which is not good. For me, I always believed in mentally working on it. Mentally you can always win, even if you are not ready physically." As for the match, she tweeted: "Wimbledon. Let's Go."
Czech tennis player Markéta Vondroušová played some outstanding tennis to land a place in her first Wimbledon final today. A lifelong career has seen Markéta rank No 1 in the Juniors, and now at 24 she is more than ready to take home a Grand Slam win. Like Ons, she spoke about the impact of injuries: "Here on grass, it was almost impossible. I didn’t play many matches on grass before. My best one was second round at Wimbledon. It’s even crazier that this is happening. After everything I’ve been through, two surgeries, it’s not always easy to come back. You don’t know if you can play at this level and if you can be back at the top and back at these tournaments. I just feel like I’m just grateful to be on a court again, to play without pain." Markéta is especially excited her husband and sister are cheering her on.
Kate and Billie Jean King watch on as the action gets underway.
Also on Centre Court: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andrew Garfield and Vito Schnabel.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas in the Royal Box.
Lewis Capaldi and Emma Watson take in the first set.
I was especially excited to see Dame Maggie Smith, better known as Lady Violet to some of us :)
Lady Frederick Windsor, Sophie Winkleman, repeated one of her best looks to date -- the beautiful Catherine Walker Cloud dress.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to catch the match live, but I was very much expecting Ons Jabeur to dominate. The result took quite the opposite turn, with Markéta steaming through and setting the pace for the match before claiming victory in straight sets. A performance worthy of applause.
It was then Kate's turn to take the stage.
And present the champion with her trophy.
Congratulations to Markéta!
The crowning moment 🏆#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/bSF4TXJIYx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023
Equally, she took the time to comfort Ons -- a wonderful sportswoman who will be back.
A video of the sweet moment.
A royal embrace 🥹#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/nDty8Ya9Sx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023
Afterwards, the Princess told the champion: "Enjoy this moment."
"Enjoy this moment" 🏆
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023
Our Patron, HRH The Princess of Wales speaks with #Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova pic.twitter.com/BukbDcKKO3
Kensington Palace shared this video afterwards.
This is why we love Wimbledon 💖An amazing performance from both players.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 15, 2023
Well done Marketa Vondrousova on your first @wimbledon title!
And Ons Jabeur you can keep your head held high after a tournament to be proud of. pic.twitter.com/k1RxNj3l8Z
What a day!
For the women's finals last year, Kate was sunny in a striking Roksanda dress, the floppy L.K. Bennett Saffron hat, Bulgari sunglasses, Gianvito Rossi pumps and Kiki McDonough Eden drops.
The Princess selected Self-Portrait's Lime Boucle Collared Midi Dress (with many thanks to Emma). The piece is available with a square neckline on sale at Net-A-Porter.
Kate wore a pair of Gianvito Rossi Slingback shoes (with thanks to Middleton Maven). Kate's suede pair are not online at present. Below, the style in leather.
Kate accessorised with her Cassandra Goad pearls.
And carried the Emmy London Natasha clutch.
Kate's sunglasses are by Victoria Beckham (with thanks to UFO No More).
Kate completed the look with her Halcyon Days Maya bangle.
I'll see you tomorrow for the men's final!
Love this look - perfect for Wimbledon
ReplyDeleteI like the style of this outfit but not the color so much. It’s not a color many people wear and perhaps with good reason. Nonetheless it’s always great to see K at Wimbledon. It might interest readers to know that the Wimbledon Foundation supports many worthy charities including creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities. I also loved watching the wheelchair doubles final, so impressive!
ReplyDeleteIt’s a shame Kate doesn’t present the trophies for the Wheelchair winners or doubles winners always the singles ones . Anyone know the reason why ? Seems rather unfair GT
DeleteThanks for a great post . Usually we see Carole Middleton attend Wimbledon once or twice every year. I don't believe we have seen her at Wimbledon this year. Am I right ? If so, any idea why she did not attend. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the dissolution of her business.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine it would not be appropriate for her to attend bearing in mind the creditors being left with losses
DeleteDeja vu all over again, but not in a good way. On the flip side, Sophie Winkleman looks absolutely fantastic in that beautiful dress! Great colors, perfect length and she nailed her accessory game with the sunglasses and bag.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Sophie looked great and was very appropriate. However, she was not presenting and think Kate has an elevated look given her responsibility.
DeleteI don't much like the Self Portrait dresses that look like mismatched light floaty skirts and heavier structured tops and I don't like this colour. I loved seeing the picture of last year's yellow dress though! Looking forward to seeing what she wears tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI love the perfect camera angle of Kate underneath the Rolex crown logo. Well done to that photographer!
ReplyDeleteI love Kate's accessories today. The earrings are beautiful, any ID on the bracelet she wore? Her hair styling was lovely. The shoes and purse looked perfect. I especially like that Kate showed compassion to Ons after presenting the trophies. It had to be a very hard loss for her. I believe she was expected win 63% to 37%. Glad that Marketa's husband was able to make it to the tournament. Truly a magical time for her - an unseeded Ladies' Champion. I prefer the yellow Roksanda dress to the Self Portrait Boucle/Chiffon dress perhaps given we've seen this look quite a few times.
ReplyDeleteIt's the Halcyon Days Maya Elle, thank you for reminding me :)
DeleteThanks! That would have been my guess. Appreciate the follow up!
DeleteBecause I live in South Florida, I love this Key Lime Green color. I don’t care for top pockets on a woman’s shirt or jacket, but that’s just me. I guess this mixed texture look is something the Princess likes and we are going to be seeing it.
ReplyDeleteI think this outfit looks great with short sleeves and it’s such a unique color. It looks good on her! Her hair and accessories are lovely. I’ve enjoyed following the Wimbledon matches. Looking forward to tomorrow’s final as well. Thank you so much for a wonderful post! Sue from IL
ReplyDeleteSo nice of her to ask Ons if she was comfortable with a hug. She's so absolutely respectful and graceful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a match! Lovely look for Wimbledon, always pulled together and seemingly effortless. Loved seeing the emotional reaction from Catherine, a well chosen patron for this sport. Even if you don't play tennis, you can feel the the emotion of both players, and appreciate the discipline and hard work. Can't wait until tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is I hope there’s a better outfit for the men’s singles tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy for Markéta - yay! 😍🇨🇿 I'm sure she was thrilled and also excited to talk to Kate! Zora from Prague
ReplyDeleteI've never developed a taste for Pimm's cups, largely because of the cucumber. It's just not my favorite flavor in a beverage. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteThis Self-Portrait "dress-that-looks-like-a-suit" is a pretty color -- it makes me think of lovely things like key lime pie and gin and tonics -- but the dress design itself is more problematic. I think the previous examples of these dresses, in black and white and with their long sleeves, worked much better than this short-sleeved version, which is somehow less flattering on the Princess, more ordinary in effect. I do like the beige suede slingbacks, though. My favorite shoe style.
I recently had occasion to try on a Self-Portrait dress of this type (except that it had a pencil skirt), and I thought participants who might be considering an SP purchase would be interested in my experience. The first issue is that the label runs very small. I wear US sizes 0-2 but tend to fall between British sizes 6 and 8. A 6 (which is supposed to be the equivalent of a US 2) can sometimes be a bit too small and an 8 too large. If I keep an 8, I invariably have to have it altered. Having heard that SP ran small, I ordered an 8 and only barely got into it. The problem may have been less size than that SP just doesn't design for my body type, but I knew that even though I could close the zipper and snaps, I wouldn't be at all comfortable.
That raises the second problem, which was that the dress was quite complicated to put on -- ridiculously so. Rather than one zipper running up the back, it involved a side zipper in the skirt section and several snap closures on the jacket section, and that's not even to mention the belt. I've bought a lot of clothes overseas and am used to dealing with unusual construction and closures (Max Mara sometimes drives me crazy), but this was ridiculous. Once I'd gotten the dress on and all the closures closed, I felt just a bit as though I'd been wrestled into a strait jacket in preparation for being carted off to the loony bin. (Which is where I may belong, given all the money I spend on clothes.)
Finally, the bouclé fabric turned out to be scratchy, heavy, and uncomfortable. It probably would have worked in a fall/winter garment, but the dress I tried on was ivory-colored and meant to be worn in the spring and summer. Given that I was perspiring with effort after getting the dress on, the fabric didn't help.
So, this was not a great fashion experience, and I was left feeling that my original instincts regarding Self-Portrait were right: that it's really a label for young women who have less mature bodies than mine. In any case, the dresses-that-look-like-suits are reasonably sophisticated, but a lot of SP's offerings are rather juvenile in effect, so they are for young women, too. Older fashion aficionados perusing this site may want to keep that in mind.
I make Pimm's at home and I never add cucumber, just fruit.
DeleteGood to hear about SP, thanks.
DeleteWhat a match! Lovely look for Wimbledon, always pulled together she is very compassionate towards other cant tor the men’s singles tomorrow
ReplyDeleteLove her hair and accessories. The dress color also a plus. But the design...meh. So much a Mish mosh and so matronly.
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly, this one feels quite matronly. Despite the floaty skirt, the short sleeves on this style of jacket makes me think of roller set hair and horn rimmed glasses on a neck chain. A miss for me.
DeleteI really like this outfit - the Queen of the coatdress is becoming the Queen of the suitdress this year! The lime colour is very summery and appropriate, and I loved her hairdo and accessories too.
ReplyDeleteOn a celebrity spotting note, as I am older than you I recognised vintage British women tennis stars in the royal box. In the first picture of Kate and B-J King was, in yellow jacket, Angela Mortimer who won 3 Grand Slam tournaments in her day, including Wimbledon in 1961. In the next picture, in white and blue, was Ann Jones, winner of 8 Grand Slam tournaments, winning Wimbledon (beating B-J King) in 1968, when she also won the mixed doubles with the great Fred Stolle.
This is a beautiful ensemble, very elegant, love the shoes. The Princess looked stunning.
ReplyDeleteJ adore ce vert frais et doux. La jupe est jolie mais trop longue, blazer superbe mais les 2 pces ensemble manquent de saveur. Sinon coupe et boucles d oreilles sont magnifiques. J adore ce blog, bravo
ReplyDeleteI thought Kate handled her duties extremely well today with her warm and caring support for an obviously devastated athlete. As for the clothes--this one's a miss for me--style, length, color, everything. Tastes differ, of course, so it's good that it's attractive to others, especially Kate!
ReplyDelete