Football, horse racing or just tennis: sporting events are mandatory dates for members of the British royal family. The responsibilities are apparently distributed differently depending on the sport. Queen Elizabeth II is known to be a big fan of horses, she was rarely seen at the prestigious tennis tournament in Wimbledon. But there are two duchesses on the weekend.
Duchess Meghan of Sussex and Duchess Kate of Cambridge, the wives of Prince Harry and William, have announced their visit to the Wimbledon final between Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams. This was announced by the British royal house on Twitter. Duchess Meghan's sympathies should be clear in this game.
The Duchess of Cambridge, @Wimbledon Patron, and The Duchess of Sussex wants to attend the Ladies' Singles Final on Saturday 14th July #Wimbledon
- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 12, 2018The wife of Prince Harry has a special relationship with Williams. "We've had a very good friendship for a long time," says the tennis player. "She has often supported me at Wimbledon, now she comes back - in a slightly different role." Williams, the record Grand Slam champion, joined guest husband Alexis Ohanian at Markle's wedding to Prince Harry in May.
Duchess Kate wants to visit not only the women's but also the men's final on Sunday, then accompanied by Prince William. She is the official patron of the tennis tournament in the south of London.
To be in the audience at Wimbledon has a long tradition with the Royals. On Wednesday, Duchess Camilla, wife of the British Crown Prince Charles, was already visiting. In earlier years, other members of the royal family - or the other, married relatives, such as Pippa Middleton, sister of Duchess Kate.
Queen Elizabeth II, however, only came to the tournament four times. Tennis is not considered one of her favorite sports. Most recently she was in 2010 in a second round match of eventual winner Andy Murray.