The Wimbledon fortnight was very warm, temperature-wise. I believe the first few days of the Championships were the tailend of Europe’s massive and deadly heatwave, but it remained quite warm throughout the tournament. Especially on Sunday, for the men’s singles final. Prince George looked miserable and like he was completely burning up in his suit and tie. He and other Royal Box people were using those handheld minifans to deal with the heat. It was so hot and so sunny in the Royal Box that the Princess of Wales “broke protocol” and wore a hat. I’m putting “broke protocol” in quotes because in 2018 and 2019, the British press screamed and cried for weeks/months about the Duchess of Sussex first carrying (but not wearing) a hat to Wimbledon, and then wearing a hat… but not in the Royal Box, or even on Centre Court. Back then, Meghan’s hat-carrying and hat-wearing was promoted as just shy of a war crime. But once again, whenever Kate does it, it’s suddenly fine.
Kate Middleton looked fashionable while attending the Wimbledon Tennis Championships over the weekend, but did she commit a dress code faux pas?
The Princess of Wales, 44, was seated in the Royal Box for both the women’s and men’s singles championships on Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, respectively. In her role as royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, she also took center court after the matches to award trophies to the champions: Linda Nosková of the Czech Republic and Jannik Sinner of Italy.
This year’s tournament fell in the midst of an English heatwave, with midday high temperatures reaching the high 80s. Attendees in the Royal Box were also in direct sunlight, and many were seen attempting to stay cool with portable fans and water bottles — including Prince George, who sported a suit and tie, keeping with the Royal Box’s dress code.
Midway through the final matches on both days, hats came out — despite the accessories being discouraged in the Royal Box. According to Wimbledon’s website, “Ladies are asked not to wear hats, as they tend to obscure the vision of those seated behind them.”
However, Princess Kate didn’t break any Wimbledon rules. When the weather gets hot, it’s normal for the tennis tournament to relax its protocol surrounding hats. In fact, fedoras with purple and green hat bands — the club’s official colors — were provided by the tennis tournament in an effort to keep guests cool and comfortable in the hot temperatures.
While the Princess of Wales brought her own headwear, her two children — Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, 11, who joined her at the event on Sunday — were seen donning the Wimbledon-provided hats and sharing a laugh over their new headpieces.
Despite bringing her own hats on both Saturday and Sunday, Princess Kate only wore the accessories briefly. She ditched the headpieces when it was time to go down to the court and present the trophies to the winners and runners-up.
This year isn’t the first time that Kate has brought a hat and worn it in the Royal Box at Wimbledon. Her sister-in-law Meghan Markle has also worn the accessory to the tennis tournament when she wasn’t sitting in the Royal Box. When the Duchess of Sussex sat in the Royal Box with Princess Kate at Wimbledon in 2018, she was seen carrying a hat, but she never put it on.
I remember those fights about Meghan’s hat, with derangers even claiming that NO ONE could ever wear a hat at Wimbledon, even if the tournament sells hats and gives away hats at certain times. Remember the fights about Meghan’s trousers at Wimbledon too? And Meghan also wore jeans… on Court 1, not the Royal Box. That was a thing too. Anyway, people still fall all over themselves to defend Kate’s every move, every hat, every decision. The thing I’m still focused on is the fact that she didn’t bring the kids out for the women’s final though, and she had Charlotte and George sitting there for hours at the men’s final, watching a credibly accused domestic abuser.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
