As Wimbledon starts its second week, we look back at some of the most memorable moments from the tournament’s history.
The annual competition creates news for a variety of reasons, including rule violations and celebrity appearances, that are not often related to the sport itself. Most lately, the highly rigorous Royal Box restrictions, which have taken Meghan Markle, Lewis Hamilton, and Pippa Middleton off guard, have been a topic of discussion.
And it turns out that celebrities and royals aren’t the only ones who have breached the rules; in 2023, a tennis player also disobeyed a different rule.
Roger Federer, a tennis legend who will retire in 2022, committed the faux pas last year while watching from Wimbledon’s Royal Box. He was joined by Kate Middleton, with whom he is known to have a close friendship, as he watched Elena Rybakina face American Shelby Rogers.
But, as they watched the nail-biting tennis match, Federer appeared to go in to give the Princess of Wales a kiss on the cheek – something that’s not considered protocol when greeting a member of the royal family.
He appeared to rest his hand on Kate’s back and lean forward, as if to kiss her cheek.
According to Sky News, royal custom states that members of the royal family should never be touched unless they extend their own hand to meet.
However, Federer is a personal friend of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and as we can see, she was unconcerned about the rule violation.
According to Town&Country, Federer said at the time: “It was so fun sitting next to Princess Catherine. I know her quite well.
“She is an avid tennis fan, and she plays herself. Sometimes we have to be careful we don’t speak too much. You can talk, and then it’s super-quiet, and then you have to applaud.”
The tennis champ with eight-time Wimbledon titles to his name even taught Kate and Prince William’s eldest, Prince George, how to play the sport in his own private lessons.
Federer told the publication at the time that his mother has always appreciated tennis. I hope he remains the same in a few years, and that this is not a one-time occurrence.
The rule break happened after Kate disregarded royal decorum with Federer at Wimbledon in 2017.
After winning his record eighth Wimbledon title against Croatian Marin Cilic, the athlete was accompanied by the Prince and Princess of Wales. As the duo congratulated the champion on his victory, Kate rushed in to give him three kisses on the cheek.
The nice gesture was made because three kisses are a traditional greeting in Federer’s native Switzerland. Federer was also spotted in the Royal Box at Wimbledon this year on Monday (7 July) with his wife Mirka, mingling with Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester.
The couple were also only two rows ahead of Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
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