Wimbledon was scheduled to begin today, but… yeah. Luckily for us British Royalty has been a fixture at Wimbledon since The Prince of Wales and Princess Mary made their first appearance at the tournament in 1907 (and one member of the family even played in it!), so we have plenty of pictures to remind us of happier times.
When I hear Wimbledon I think Kents. Prince George, The Duke of Kent was president from 1929 until his untimely death in 1942. Princess Marina took over at that time and served until her death in 1968. The present Duke of Kent, accompanied for many years by The Duchess of Kent, has held the title since 1969. I don’t think anyone who saw it will ever forget poor Jana Novotná crying her eyes out on the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder after a devastating loss in 1993, only to come back and win it all in 1998.
Other members of the family have helped out as well.
There have been quite a few familiar faces in the stands over the years. But when push comes to shove, it’s all Brits all the time.
So who was the member of the family that actually played in Wimbledon? That would be The Duke of York. Prince Albert partnered with his Equery, Wing Commander Sir Louis Greig, in the doubles tournament in 1926. While the Duke was considered to be an excellent player, he was no match for the pros and they were booted after the first round. At least they tried.
Do you have any favorite Wimbledon photos from over the years? Feel free to discuss and share below!