Princess Charlotte broke a long-standing Wimbledon rule on Sunday when she sat in the Royal Box in Centre Court for the first time.
But while she and her brother Prince George were welcomed with open arms alongside mother Kate Middleton and father Prince William, there is typically a firm 'no children allowed' rule in the Royal Box. However, in keeping with its name, exceptions have been made for royal children over the years – and this weekend that occurred for little Charlotte for the first time.
The rule was first enforced after the Duchess of Kent reportedly asked the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in 1999 if she could bring a 12-year-old guest (the son of her late friend) to sit with her. However the request was denied, and she was offered alternative seats outside of the Box.
Then club chairman John Curry said in a statement at the time, "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."
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace said the affair was "a matter for Wimbledon".
Fitting the exception, eight-year-old Charlotte had the privilege of watching tennis legend Novak Djokovic play Carlos Alcaraz in the men's final, with Alcaraz winning his first Wimbledon title and denying his opponent a record eighth tournament win. Not a bad first game to witness!
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Charlotte could be seen wearing a blue floral dress, with fans loving her stylish sunglasses, while George (who attended last year, soon to turn 10 on 22 July) was dressed in a smart suit and tie. Sadly their younger sibling Louis wasn't in attendance, with him reportedly "very upset" to miss out.
We can't wait for his turn!
