Last year, the Queen would have attended Wimbledon if Andy Murray went into finals. But Murray lost Andy Roddick so there was no royal attendance. However, this year everything changed. Despite the fact the Queen Elizabeth II is not a tennis fan she decided to visit the most significant tennis tournament – once again after incredible 33 years.
This year it was the first time that the monarch had taken her place in the Royal Box since her Silver Jubilee Year in 1977, when she watched Virginia Wade clinch the ladies’ singles title.
Arriving 2 hours earlier, she took a walk around the Wimbledon campus. At first she said hello to ball girls and ball boys.
Afterwards, the Queen Elizabeth II was then taken to the Millennium Building where a number of top players were waiting to be presented to her.
Maybe some of you are wondering where the world No.1, Rafael Nadal, is. Of course, he was also invited to this ceremony but he did not come as he was focusing on the upcoming match. As he said: “Today is a game day. I have my things to do.”
After these official ceremonies, the British Queen took her place in the Royal Box at 1pm looking forward the match between Andy Murray and Jarrko Nieminen. She was wearing a turquoise summer coat and matching brimmed hat with white trim. Of course, there was the huge and spontaneous standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd as the Queen entered the Royal Box.
As the old tradition says, the players were expected to bow towards the Royal Box before their match.
The Queen’s attendance is really a big social occasion which gives the huge public interest what you can see on next photos, too.
Finally, one interesting fact which you probably haven’t known: The father of the Queen Eliyabeth II, George VI, was a keen tennis player and competed in the men’s doubles tournament here in 1926, the year of the Queen’s birth.
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