Wimbledon is frequently visited by the Duchess of Cambridge and her family, who are well-known to be ardent tennis fans.
Kate Middleton, the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, frequently attends Wimbledon and has been pictured with her parents Carole and Michael Middleton in the Royal Box on Centre Court.
In 2017, Kate shared some interesting anecdotes about her tennis-loving family during an appearance on the BBC documentary Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon, including one instance when her dad Michael left her feeling “mortified.”
During a conversation with former British No. 1 tennis player Tim Henman, she recalled her father’s attempt to maintain composure. She told broadcaster Sue: “We had just seen Sampras play, and I know my father won’t like this, but we were passing Tim Henman. “Hello, Pete,” my father said in a cool manner. I felt terrible!”
When discussing her passion for the game, Kate said: “I have watched Wimbledon because it was an important part of my upbringing. It’s such an iconic part of the English summer, and I think it really motivates young people. It certainly motivated me to start playing the game when I was younger. I believe that’s what makes it so wonderful that it hasn’t changed either.”
Kate laughed as she added: “The love of my mother’s life is Roger [Federer]. She won’t mind if I say that, I believe. I believe he is also aware of that.”
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Kate and Prince William were present at Wimbledon earlier this week, along with Michael and Carole. They first saw British aspirant Cameron Norrie defeat David Goffin in the quarterfinals before seeing Novak Djokovic defeat Jannik Sinner.
It’s wonderful that you have such a great relationship with your father, Kate. You are very blessed to have that and such a supportive family of origin. I’m happy that you have that. I wasn’t as fortunate to have had a family like yours, so I kicked them all out of my life. They are dead to me. The family I have planned in my future (Dave, his children, his family of origin, Harry, his children, his family of origin (all of you), my children, and the McCarney’s) will be hand chosen by me, so I will also get to experience of being surrounded by like-minded, supportive people.