Kate MiddletonandMeghan Markleknow there are exceptions to every rule — even in theexclusive Royal Box at Wimbledon.
“The Royal Box has been used for the entertainment of friends and guests of Wimbledon since 1922,” according toWimbledon. “British and overseas Royal Families are invited as well as heads of government, people from the world of tennis, commercial partners, British armed forces, prominent media organisations, supporters of British tennis and other walks of life.”
Guests in the Royal Box are asked to dress “smart” (even Prince Georgewore a suit and tiedespite high temperatures for hisWimbledon debut!), but a practical summer accessory is discouraged — for a logical reason.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
“Ladies are asked not to wear hats, as they tend to obscure the vision of those seated behind them,” Wimbledon states.
However, both Kate and Meghan have appeared at Wimbledon wearing hats to keep cool in the sun.
Kate Middleton wears a hat at Wimbledon in 2022.Karwai Tang/WireImage
In 2018, the Princess of Wales (then the Duchess of Cambridge) and the Duchess of Sussex attended the Ladies' Single Final together in theirfirst-ever outing without their husbands.
Meghan, now 41, held a familiar accessory — a white straw hat with a black band above the brim. However, Meghan never wore the headpiece as she watched Angelique Kerber take onSerena Williams (a friend of hers!).
Meghan Markle wears hat at Wimbledon in 2016.Karwai Tang/WireImage
And there’s a reason to hat looked familiar — it was the same one Meghan sported while attending the tennis tournament in 2016. It was later revealed that Meghan’s visit to the U.K. for Wimbledon that year was also when she and Prince Harry had theirfirst dates.
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In 2019, Meghan returned to the sporting event to watch Williams playing against Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan. She wore her hat with jeans a white blazer, but she wasn’t sitting in the Royal Box at the time.
Meghan Markle wears a hat at Wimbledon 2019.GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty
GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty
Kate, 41, is a regular at Wimbledon — after all, she’s patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. However, she’s only worn a hat at the event once.
In 2022, Princess Kate was spotted wearing a sun hat at the Women’s Singles Final despite her seat in the Royal Box.
Kate Middleton wears a hat at Wimbledon in 2022.Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty
Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty
On very hot and sunny days, Wimbledon will pass around hats to Royal Box attendees. These hats feature the tournament’s purple and green on a ribbon. While these hats were given out when Kate attended, she brought her own headpiece — and only wore it for a short time. When Kate stepped onto the court to present the trophies, she left the head-topper behind.
Princess Beatriceand her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, were spottedwearing the Wimbledon-approved hatsat a different game in 2022.
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice wear hats at Wimbledon in 2022.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Wimbledon is steeped in tradition, but it’s not unusual to change the rules to fit with more modern times.
Athletes competing on Centre Courtused to bow or curtsyif members of the royal family were seated in the Royal Box. However, a change was made in 2003 and the rule was updated to apply only ifQueen Elizabethand then-Prince Charles— the monarch and her heir — attended.
Players have opted to bow or curtsy to the member of the royal family awarding them their trophy in the years since — however, this is the personal choice of the athlete.
Kate Middleton awards Ashleigh Barty at Wimbledon 2021.AELTC/Ben Solomon/Pool/Getty
Tennis star Martina Navratilova said she enjoyed the tradition of the curtsy.
“When I got the hang of it, I came to quite enjoy it,” she said, according toThe New York Times. “I liked that part. The players walking on the court, curtsying in unison. That was a part of the great tradition here.”
source: people.com
