Royals to Attend Wimbledon on Friday

As the world watches the tennis players compete for the renowned trophies at Wimbledon, the Royal Box, which hosts the tournament's most exclusive guests, is just as impressive.

This year, Princess Michael of Kent and the Duchess of Gloucester are expected to grace the private box on Friday.

Royals have been regular visitors to Centre Court for decades and have a long history of involvement in the event.

Currently, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds the royal patronage of all England lawn tennis and croquet club, while Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is the president.

Both regularly attend the tennis tournament to present winners' trophies to the champions and are often accompanied by their partners, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Kent.

In fact, the Duchess of Kent was a familiar face at Wimbledon and even presented some of the winners' trophies herself.

However, the Duchess of Kent's relationship with the club reportedly suffered as a result of an event that occurred during the historic tournament, which left the Duchess of Kent feeling deeply hurt.

In 1999, Catherine wanted to bring the 12-year-old son of a bereaved friend into the Royal Box.

However, her request was denied since non-Royal children were not permitted to sit in the private enclosure.

As a direct consequence of this, an alternative seating arrangement was provided for the kid, and Wimbledon tennis chairman John Currie wrote a note to the Duchess to remind her of the regulations.

There were reports that the letter instructed her to limit the number of guests to one each day.

But, according to The Guardian, the Duchess had been in the habit of inviting three or four guests several times during the tournament.

According to the BBC, the Duchess was deeply hurt by the letter and considered a boycott of the Royal Box.

In September 1999, the Wimbledon chief reportedly apologised to Catherine but stood by the ban.

In a statement, he said, “I regret any unintentional hurt this may have caused to Her Royal Highness.”

He also denied restricting her guests to one per day and said, “As happens every year with all our Royal guests, I reconfirmed our guidelines concerning the invitation of additional guests and the subject of children.

No Royal has been limited to one guest in the past or will be in the future.”

Refusing to change the ban, the chief added, “Because of demand for space in the Royal Box, we also ask that, apart from children of the Royal Family, children are not invited as they exclude other worthy people from attending, many of whom contribute to tennis.”

While there were reports of the Duchess threatening to boycott the Royal Box, she made it clear that she respects the rules.

A spokesman for the Duchess of Kent told the BBC at the time, “The Duchess has asked me to make clear that she respects the rules and regulations of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, with whom she shares a wish to encourage more children and young people to watch and participate in tennis.

She has also asked me to say that, as in previous years, she is much looking forward to attending next year's Championship and the next Davis Cup matches.”

Even after she retired from public life, Catherine continued to present winners' trophies until the year 2001.

The Duchess consoled Jana Nuvotna after she had lost to Steffi Graf, which is perhaps the most notable instance of their interaction.

Nuvotna had a chance to win the match against Graf, but she had a double fault on game point, while she was up 4-1 in the third set, which caused her to lose her composure and ultimately resulted in a loss in three sets.

Her evident emotions during the presentation ceremony, as well as the heartbreaking images as she was comforted by the Duchess of Kent, have been permanently etched into the annuals of Wimbledon history.

The Duchess comforted her by assuring her, “I know you will win it one day, don't worry.”

Catherine was correct in her prediction, as Nuvotna went on to win Wimbledon in 1998.

This was the lone singles Grand Slam title that Nuvotna won throughout her career, which included 16 victories in the doubles competition.

The most recent winner of one of Catherine's prizes was Venus Williams, who took home the trophy in the year 2001.

Since then, she has not been seen very much at Wimbledon, and after she retired, she chose to give up the title of HRH and live a life that is characterised by seclusion and a lack of noise.