09 July 2023 , 09:47
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The Princess of Wales’ keen interest in tennis is well-known and is remarked upon each year when she attends Wimbledon in her role as patron of All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
With her first appearance to support British Number one Katie Boulter having taken place at the start of this week, it is not yet known when the Princess will return to the famous court to soak in another match.
Just like the Princess, several members of the Royal Family and the Middleton family are frequently seen sitting in the royal box and are often pictured being swept up by the events.
Michael Middleton is an especially keen sportsman, but one year Kate revealed she was left "mortified" after her father was involved in an embarrassing mix-up.
The Princess admitted she was "mortified" (2021 Karwai Tang)The Princess revealed the funny story in a 2017 BBC documentary called Our Wimbledon presented by sports host Sue Barker.
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She told Sue how her dad tried to play it cool in front of the former British number one tennis player Tim Henman.
Kate explained: "My father is not going to appreciate this, but we were walking past Tim Henman and we had just seen [Pete] Sampras play.
"My dad said very coolly: 'Hi Pete'. I was mortified!"
The Princess of Wales previously played tennis with Emma Raducanu to celebrate her success at the US Open (Getty)Away from Centre Court, the Princess of Wales has showcased her impressive skills with a racket on a number of occasions.
In 2021, she joined tennis star Emma Raducanu, 20, for a game at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre for The Homecoming to celebrate the player’s success at the US Open.
And, on a 2018 trip to Bond Primary School in south west London, she joined young students as they took part in Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative training sessions and activities, and admitted that she missed playing the game.
The Princess, who was pregnant with Prince Louis at the time, told the children: “I love tennis, I think it’s a great sport, I was really sporty when I was little, less so now that I’ve got lots of babies! But keep it up, it’s great to be active, as everyone’s been saying here today.”
Kate was brought up playing tennis and was raised to be skilled at almost everything, thanks to her parents’ influence. Royal expert Ingrid Seward previously told the Mirror: “Kate is a product of her mother, she was brought up to do everything to perfection.
“She learnt to sail as a young girl and rock climb and ski. She loved cooking, dressing up and making clothes. She learnt the piano, her father taught her to play tennis to a high standard. All these skills came because her ambitious mother encouraged her to learn them. There’s nothing she can’t turn her hand to.”