As Wimbledon wraps for another year (congrats Sinner and Świątek!), fans of the Royal Family were treated to a rare sighting of the Prince and Princess of Wales enjoying the day together, along with two of their three children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Thanks to the Princess' role as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, ever since 2016 it is custom for her to present the winners of the Ladies' and Mens' Singles with their trophy prize.
Making two appearances this year – one without her family on the 12th of July and one with on the 13th – the royal clan later shared happy photos of their outing on Instagram... which sparked eagle-eyed royal fans to comment on a perceived sweet but subtle gesture that Prince William appeared to make when supporting Catherine at the tournament.
Commenting on the Prince falling back and allowing Catherine, George and Charlotte to walk ahead and greet the Wimbledon crowds, one person remarked (amassing over 1,000 likes in response), "Love the way Prince William let his family walk ahead of him. Such a beautiful and subtle show of respect."
Another added, "I love that William knows that she’s the show stopper here! 👑. That’s respect and love and teaching his kiddos how to treat their Mum!"
However, while the gesture might seem super romantic and just plain make sense given that Catherine is a tennis patron, it could actually just be down to royal tradition. Yep, that family has a whole bunch of rules that the rest of us would never even think about when it comes to our own relatives.
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Typically, because Prince William is next in line to the throne and the most senior royal of the Waleses, it's expected that his wife and children walk a pace or two ahead of him as a mark of respect.
When entering an event as a whole family, King Charles is expected to be the last person to enter, given he is the actual monarch, with both Prince William and Queen Camilla in front of him.
So there you have it – a mark of respect and a royal rule upheld. We love to see it.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
