It was Wimbledon Women’s Final today, and so it’s of little surprise that VIPs packed out the Royal Box at Centre Court.
Perhaps most notable of them all was the Princess of Wales, who delighted spectators with her surprise appearance at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London today.
The royal, 43, put on a dazzling display in a white, summery ensemble to watch Amanda Anisimova and Iga Świątek battle it out for the title.
Lady Helen Taylor, who is the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, 61, was sat near Kate as the action unfolded.
A slew of sports stars joined the royals in the coveted seats today, including famed British former long-distance runner Mo Farah, who was dressed to the nines in a grey suit.
Tennis champions also joined the box, including American former world No.1, Billie Jean King.
Meanwhile, Martina Navratilova, the Czech-American former professional tennis player who was ranked as the world No. 1 in women’s singles for 332 weeks, also watched the final from the Royal Box.
Other notable spectators on day 13 included the Leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, and American Beauty and Skyfall director Sam Mendes.
A host of famous faces turned out to watch Wimbledon on Saturday, including: 1. Kemi Badenoch 2. Sam Mendes 3. Estella Taylor 4. Lady Helen Taylor 5. Clive Myrie 6. Holly Ramsay 7. Adam Peaty 8. Seb Coe 9. Mo Farah
Kate, the Princess of Wales
The Princess of Wales delighted spectators with her surprise appearance at Wimbledon on Saturday
The Princess of Wales delighted Wimbledon spectators today as she watched Iga Swiatek thrash Amanda Anisimova in the Women’s Final.
Kate, 43, beamed as she made her way through the crowd to take her place at the front row of the Royal Box, with spectators erupting into cheers.
The patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club presented the trophy to Swiatek after she triumphed 6-0 6-0 against American Anisimova on Centre Court.
Anisimova broke down in tears after she became the first to lose to a double bagel scoreline in the women’s final at SW19 since 1911.
Kate gave warm words of encouragement and consoled the American as she collected the runners-up trophy.
Lady Helen Taylor and Estella Taylor
Lady Helen Taylor, 61, was joined by her youngest daughter Estella, 20, at Wimbledon on Saturday
Lady Helen Taylor, 61, and her 20-year-old daughter Estella 20 enjoyed the tennis in the Royal Box today.
Helen is the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Katherine, Duchess of Kent, and a great-granddaughter of George V.
The royal, who was an ambassador for Giorgio Armani for almost two decades, has four children with her art dealer husband, Timothy Taylor: Columbus, born in 1996; Cassius, born in 1996; Eloise, born in 2003; and Estella, born in 2004.
The couple met while working in New York and married in 1992, leading Helen to leave behind her previous party lifestyle for a quieter one with her family.
She rarely makes public appearances, making her show of support today all the more special.
Kemi Badenoch
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch sat next to director Sam Mendes in Wimbledon’s Royal Box
Kemi Badenoch is the leader of the Conservative Party, and last year made history when she became the first black leader of a Westminster political party.
Badenoch was born in a private Catholic maternity hospital in Wimbledon and grew up in Nigeria, where her father was a GP and her mother a lecturer in physiology.
Her British passport gave her a route out of the country when its economy collapsed in the 1990s: her parents sent her, aged 16, to live with a family friend in Morden, south London, where she enrolled at a local college for her A-levels.
During the leadership contest, she said that this was the period in which she ‘became working class’ – having been born into a middle-class family – by taking a job in McDonald’s.
She said: ‘There’s a humility there… you had to wash toilets, you had to flip burgers, you had to handle money.’
Mrs Badenoch, who spoke English as a second language after Yoruba and calls herself ‘a first-generation immigrant’, says her time studying computer engineering at Sussex University drove her towards Tory politics.
Lisa Nandy
Lisa Nandy shook hands with American actor Stanley Tucci before taking her seat at the final today
Lisa Nandy is a British Labour politician and has served as the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport since last year.
The 45-year-old, who was born in Manchester, has served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan since 2010.
She has taken on various roles throughout her career, including being the Shadow Foreign Secretary and Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
Greta Gerwig
Barbie director Greta Gerwig sat next sports star Mo Farah at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club today
American actress and screenwriter Greta Gerwig joined the VIPs in the Royal Box today.
Greta, 41, has emerged as a distinctive voice in contemporary cinema, celebrated for her unique storytelling style, keen insight into human relationships, and commitment to representing authentic female experiences on screen.
With notable works such as Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie, Gerwig has garnered critical acclaim and audience admiration for her poignant narratives and nuanced character portrayals.
As both a director and screenwriter, Gerwig brings a refreshing perspective to her films, infusing them with wit, charm, and emotional depth.
Sir Mo Farah
Long-distance running champion Mo Farah, 42, looked dapper in a grey suit at Wimbledon today
Sir Mo Farah looked sharp in a grey suit as he watched the final from the Royal Box today.
The 42-year-old is a British former long-distance runner and is widely thought to be one of the greatest runners in history.
In 2011, he burst onto the scene with a gold medal in the 5,000m at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
Undoubtedly, his most memorable triumphs came just a year later when Farah won two golds in the 10,000m and 5,000m on home soil during London 2012, when his famous ‘Mobot’ gesture first graced television screens.
He became part of ‘Super Saturday’ which saw three Brits win gold in the Olympic stadium, with Farah joining Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill and long jumper Greg Rutherford.
He then won double gold again at the World Championships in Moscow in 2013 and completed a double-defence of his Olympic titles in Rio in 2016.
Sir Mo finished his hugely successful career in middle distance running in 2017, in London again, with a Gold medal in the 10,000m and a silver in the 5,000m.
He then turned his attention to the marathon distance in 2018, achieving a third-place finish in the London marathon.
Away from running, Sir Mo has become a regular player in Soccer Aid each year and in 2012 also became the only British contestant to ever win The Cube game show, one of only eight winners worldwide.
Sam Mendes
Esteemed Skyfall and Spectre director Sam Mendes, 59, joined the Royal Box at Wimbledon today
Sam Mendes, CBE, is a British film director, known for his innovative stage productions, including James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre.
The 59-year-old was previously married to Kate Winslet before marrying famous trumpeter, Alison Balsom in 2017.
The director was educated at Cambridge University before joining the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1987.
Clive Myrie
Pictured: Journalist, newsreader and presenter, Clive Myrie in the Royal Box on Centre Court on day thirteen at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships
British journalist Clive Myrie was among the famous faces in the Royal Box on Saturday.
The news presenter has worked as a presenter on BBC shows Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind.
Myrie joined the BBC in 1987 as a local radio trainee reporter and has risen to one of the Corporation’s most visible stars.
He is a regular face on news bulletins, and anchored the BBC’s election night broadcast in July last year alongside journalist Laura Kuenssberg.
Stanley Tucci
64-year-old American actor Stanley Tucci, known for his role Devil Wears Prada, sat in the Royal Box today
Famed American actor Stanley Tucci, 64, is known and loved for his versatility as a performer.
He appeared alongside Tom Hanks in 2004 comedy-drama The Terminal and has had roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Julie and Julia and The Hunger Games films.
In 2021, he had the opportunity to pursue his interest in food and cooking, presenting the series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.
Stanley has three children with his late wife Kate Tucci. He is remarried and his wife, literary agent Felicity Blunt, is the sister of his The Devil Wears Prada co-star Emily Blunt.
Martina Navratilova
Pictured: The Princess of Wales greeted tennis legend Martina Navratilova in the Royal Box on Centre Court
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, 68, has won 59 Grand Slam titles overall, including 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles.
The last was a mixed doubles championship with Bob Bryan at the 2006 US Open, a month shy of her 50th birthday.
Navratilova originally retired in 1994, after a record 167 singles titles and 331 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
In 2023, the sporting icon revealed just weeks before Wimbledon that she had been told she was free of cancer.
‘Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, proton and radiation magicians etc- what a relief,’ she wrote.
Navratilova, 66, also added ‘f*** cancer’ in the post.
She revealed she had been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer in January that year and that she would begin treatment that month.
Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay
Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty was joined by his partner Holly Ramsay at Wimbledon on Saturday
Olympian swimmer Adam Peaty attended today with his partner, Gordon Ramsay’s 25-year-old daughter, Holly.
The couple, who have been dating for four years, shared the news of their engagement in sweet Instagram posts last year, with Adam, 30, praising his fiancée for sticking with him through his ‘lowest times’, following his battle with alcoholism and mental health.
Holly and Adam’s romance was first revealed last summer, when the couple took a loved-up trip to Rome together, and eagerly documented moments from the long weekend for their followers on Instagram.
The couple met when Holly’s sister Tilly, 23, appeared with Adam on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021.
Marion Bartoli
Pictured: Former tennis player and Wimbledon Champion Marion Bartoli in the Royal Box on Saturday
Marion Bartoli, 40, is a French former professional tennis player who lifted the Wimbledon trophy herself in 2013.
She made waves in the sport during her prime for using both her hands to play forehand and backhand.
Born in Haute-Loire, she is of Corsican descent. she was first introduced to tennis at the age of six when she played with her father Walter.
He trained her in difficult conditions; including courts covered in ice or small, cramped sports spaces.
In 2019 she married Belgian footballer Yahya Boumediene. They welcomed their daughter a year later.
Lord Coe
Sebastian Coe attended the Women’s Singles final match between Iga Swiatek of Poland against Amanda Anisimova of the USA
Sebastian Coe is a British Olympic gold medallist and member of the House of Lords.
The 68-year-old, who was born in Chelsea, competed in middle distance running categories including 1500 metres and 800 metres. His two Olympic golds came in 1500 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the 1984 LA Olympics.
Since retiring as an athlete, he has remained dedicated to sport and was a crucial player in London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
From 1992 until 1997, Lord Coe also served as a Tory MP for Falmouth and Camborne; and he became a Life Peer in 2000. He retired in 2022.
In 2007, he became the vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). He was elected as its president in 2015 before it changed its name to World Athletics.
Lord Coe has three children from his first marriage to former badminton player Nicky McIrvine. The pair were married from 1990 until 2002.
In 2003 he began dating Carole Annett, the daughter of former England cricket captain MJK Smith. They married in 2011.
Simona Halep
Romania’s tennis player Simona Halep sat in the Royal Box on Centre Court for the women’s singles final tennis match
Simona Halep knows a thing or two about playing on Centre Court, as the former no. 1 female tennis player in the world.
The Romanian athlete, 33, lifted the Wimbledon trophy herself in 2019, and has also won the French Open twice.
In 2022 she was suspended from the sport after testing positive for a banned substance. However in early 2024 her suspension was reduced from four years to nine months.
She was then allowed to return to playing tennis, accounting for time already served. Simona then competed in the 2024 Miami Open.
She made the decision to retire just this year, after pulling out of the Australian Open with a knee injury and later failing to advance past the first round at the Transylvania Open.
Billie Jean King
Tennis legend Billie Jean King greeted the Princess of Wales with a handshake on Saturday afternoon
Perhaps one of the most famous female tennis players of all time, Billie Jean King won a staggering 39 Grand Slam titles during her career in singles and doubles competitions.
When she won the French Open in 1972, she became only the fifth woman ever to win all four major Grand Slam events.
The American ace, now 81, became the face of gender equality in women’s sport and famously beat Bobby Riggs in a ‘battle of the sexes’ match in 1973.
In 1987, she was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame; and has won various titles dubbing her ‘sportswoman of the year’.
In 2018, she won the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Billie Jean married Larry King in 1965; but realised three years later that she was a lesbian.
In 1987 she fell in love with her doubles partner, Ilana Kloss – but she and Larry remained close friends despite the marriage ending.
In 2018, Billie Jean married Ilana in a ceremony in New York.
