'My father is not going to appreciate this': Kate's best Wimbledon family anecdotes
When Wimbledon rolls around each year, we can be certain of two things: the players will wear white, and the Duchess of Cambridge will make an appearance.
As patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, it's Kate's job to show up, green-and-purple bow securely in place – but her love of the tournament transcends royal duty. It's a family tradition.
In a 2017 BBC documentary titled Our Wimbledon, the duchess said watching the on-court action had been "very much part of [her] growing up".
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Kate with sister Pippa Middleton and sister-in-law Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex at Wimbledon in 2019. Corbis via Getty Images
Indeed, Kate's siblings Pippa and James and parents Michael and Carole have been spotted in the stands over the years.
Earlier this week, Kate was spotted blowing a kiss to her parents from her spot in the Royal Box – and perhaps she briefly recalled the time her dad "mortified" her at Wimbledon with a friendly greeting to a star player.
"My father is not going to appreciate this, but we were walking past Tim Henman and had just seen [Pete] Sampras play," the duchess said as she launched into the anecdote in the BBC documentary, as reported by The Mirror at the time.
"My dad said, 'Hi Pete'. I was mortified."
(Ah, dads.)
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Even future queens are embarrassed by their dads' antics sometimes. AP
Carole Middleton was also dobbed in by her famous daughter, who revealed her affections for a certain Swiss Grand Slam champion.
"Roger [Federer] is my mother's heartthrob. I don't think she will mind me saying that!" she declared.
"I think he probably knows that, too."
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Carole and Michael Middleton made an appearance at Wimbledon earlier this week. AP Photo/Alastair Grant
Federer is a close friend of the Middleton family, even scoring an invite to Pippa's 2017 wedding, so we can only imagine Kate's remark was discussed over dinner at some point.
In the same program, the duchess also revealed she once sent an apology note to Andy Murray after being forced to miss his victorious final match at Wimbledon 2013.
The avid tennis lover had good reason to be missing from the stands, however.
"I was very heavily pregnant with George, so I wasn't able to turn up," she said.
Roger Federer is a close friend of the Middleton family - and a "heartthrob" to Kate's mum Carole. Getty
"I wrote to Andy Murray afterwards saying sorry for not being there, but huge congratulations."
The duchess made her first Wimbledon appearance earlier this week, watching the Men's Singles Quarter Final match between Cameron Norrie and David Goffin alongside husband Prince William.
We'll likely see her again at the finals this weekend.
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