King Charles has had a busy month so far, attending his Scottish coronation last week and meeting with US president Joe Biden on Monday.
With a packed schedule of official events, it perhaps comes as no surprise that the king has not been spotted at Wimbledon, an occasion famously loved by the royal family, with Princess Kate attending last week.
However, his busy calendar of royal events might not be the only reason the king has not been seen courtside this year. In fact, the royal hasn’t been seen at the event in over 10 years. He was last photographed at Wimbledon in 2012, when he and Queen Camilla sat beside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth and his wife Wilnelia in the Royal Box.
© GettyPrior to this, he hadn’t been to the tennis championship since 1970 – and he’s not the only royal who eschews the event. His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, only attended the tournament four times over her 70-year reign!
© GettyThe reason was reported that the late Queen was not an avid tennis fan. Her last visit came in June 2010 when she watched Andy Murray beat Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen. It was a momentous occasion, marking the Queen’s first appearance in the royal box for 33 years.
The Queen’s previous visits to Wimbledon took place in July 1957, July 1977 and July 1962.
Perhaps King Charles inherited his disinterest in tennis from his mother? Luckily, his son, Prince William, and his wife, Princess Kate are avid tennis fans, with the Princess of Wales appearing in the royal box with Roger Federer this year.
READ: Princess Kate’s fans concerned for her amid busy schedule
Not just a fan of watching tennis, Princess Kate regularly takes to the court herself and she is even patron of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, best known as the venue for Wimbledon.
© Getty ImagesLast month the 41-year-old got dressed in her tennis whites to get acquainted with the Wimbledon ball girls and boys, sharing photos on Instagram.
The pictures were captioned: “The #Wimbledon Ball Boys and Girls play a pivotal role in The Championships. We went to visit them on a day’s training with @rogerfederer,” and royal fans rushed to share their compliments for the Princess.
One summed up the general sentiment by writing: “She looks like a tennis player, if we were not aware of her being a princess, we would have mistaken her as a tennis player”.
SEE: 16 photos of the royals having an ace day out at Wimbledon
Many others agreed, with a second writing: “In a different life I think the Princess of Wales could have been a successful sportswoman,” and the third chiming in: “She’s looking like a professional tennis player! Good to see her playing the sport she likes and that too with the best player out there!”
The royals are also expected to attend the men’s and women’s finals this week, so we’ll be keeping a watchful eye on the royal box!
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