The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge © AELTC/ M.Hangst
Wimbledon's magical Monday in the sunshine has become a royal occasion, with a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
HRH Prince William and his new wife Catherine were given a rapturous reception from the Centre Court crowd as they took their places in the Royal Box before the start of the match between Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet.
For the visit, the Duchess is wearing a white tiered ruffle dress with circle details on the shoulder strap. The Duke is wearing a blue suit.
It is a visit that had not been previously announced but their presence may not come as a big surprise. William has always been a keen supporter of British sport at the highest level and Catherine's family are well-known as tennis fans. Earlier this month, the Duchess's sister Pippa enjoyed a day watching the action at Queen's Club.
And to mark the royal wedding earlier this year, the All England Club recently added a fascinating artefact to its museum - a handwritten note from the then Kate Middleton thanking officials at the Club after a visit to The Championships.
The note from 2008 reads, "Dear Sir. Thank you for your kind hospitality at Wimbledon last week. My friend and I had such a fantastic time and it was great to be able to enjoy the day knowing that we could have a little peace and quite if things got a little too hectic.
"It was a wonderfully relaxed day and we even spent part of it on the "Henman/Murray Hill", which was great fun. I really was not expecting to be looked after with such hospitality and I certainly wasn't expecting to see any of the Centre Court games. I do hope the end of the tournament runs smoothly and this fantastic weather lasts 'till the end of the week. Thank you again for making it such a fun and easy visit."
On this occasion, the Duchess will be watching the action from the Royal Box, which also includes two Kings among its guests. They are Billie Jean King, the six-time ladies' singles champion, and Sir Mervyn King, the recently knighted governor of the Bank of England.
Other guests include: F1 driver Mark Webber; Olympic rowing gold medallist Zac Purchase; Chris Kermode, the tournament director of the AEGON Championships and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals; and Tony and Jane Henman, parents of Tim Henman who enthralled many a second Monday at Wimbledon during his career.The Duke and Duchess's presence in the Royal Box marks the second major royal visit during the 125th Championships.
Last week, the Duchess of Cornwall was in the Royal Box to watch the thrilling match between Venus Williams and Kimiko Date-Krumm. Beforehand, she met six ballboys and ballgirls on the players' lawn.
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