Since its inception in 1877, the British royal family has been a key component of the Wimbledon tennis championships. From Princess Margaret bringing a touch of fabulous to the tournament in the ’60s, to the Princess of Wales (now patron of the All England Club) presenting the winners with their trophies on court, the royal family is as much a constant at Wimbledon as Pimm’s and strawberries and cream.
Of course, the royals don’t only pop up for trophy presentations. They can be spotted in the Royal Box from the early rounds, cheering on their favorites in sprightly summer outfits. Contemporary royals typically mirror the florals worn by the Queen in the ’70s and Diana, Princess of Wales at Wimbledon in the ’80s, or—as has been the approach of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex—lean into the championship’s preppy reputation in crisp collared shirts by sponsor Ralph Lauren.
Here, look back to 22 times the royals brought some added glamour to SW19.
1925
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Queen Mary, grandmother to Queen Elizabeth II, presented French player Suzanne Lenglen with the winning prize at the 1925 championships.
1926
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Queen Elizabeth’s father, The Duke of York, who would later become King George VI, donned tennis whites to play on the grass courts in 1926. The first member of the royal family to play at Wimbledon, the future King paired up with Wing Commander Louis Grieg for the men’s doubles.
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31st October 1938: Queen Elizabeth (1900 - 2002), Queen Consort to King George VI with American Wimbledon Champion, Helen Wills Moody during a break at Wimbledon. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
1957
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The Duke of Edinburgh, who had been styled Prince Philip earlier that year, was on hand to present Lew Hoad with the men’s single trophy at the 1957 ceremony.
1962
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The Queen was also in attendance in 1962, where she wore a silk-satin dress coat to present Rod Laver with the winning trophy.
1965
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Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret was in the stands in 1965, wearing sunglasses and a sizeable hat as she smoked a cigarette during play.
1969
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Princess Anne had the honour of presenting winner, Ann Jones, with the women’s singles title at the 1969 championships after the English player defeated Billie Jean King for the win. The 18-year-old princess opted for a graphic dress coat worn with sling-back heels and a polka-dot scarf worn around a sunhat.
1970
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In 1970, it was Princess Margaret’s turn to present the winner with the trophy. The Queen’s sister wore a red collared coat with a printed dress and a wide-brim emerald green hat and completed her ensemble with a large brooch pinned at the neck.
1970
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Prince Charles took to Centre Court in a dashing suit at the 1970 championships.
1970
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Princess Margaret carried her handbag on to Centre Court when she presented Margaret Court with the women’s singles trophy at the close of the 1970 championships.
1977
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Her Majesty the Queen wore a pale pink ensemble to present Britain’s Virginia Wade with the women’s singles title on July 1, 1977.
1991
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Diana, Princess of Wales returned to Wimbledon a decade later, this time joined by Prince William for the finals, where she wore a purple blazer belted at the waist.
Tom Wargacki
Princess Diana in preppy pink tailoring at Wimbledon in 1993.
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Princess Diana cheered on Pete Sampras as he took the men’s singles title in 1993.
2008
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Kate Middleton, three years before she married Prince William, attended the championships with her girlfriends in a simple white sundress and black cardigan.
2010
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Her Majesty’s most recent visit to Wimbledon was in 2010, where she met with players including Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Novak Djokovic.
2011
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Newlyweds William and Kate attended the 2011 championships, watching the fourth round match between Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet together. The Duchess wore an occasion-appropriate dress by Temperley for the match.
2012
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Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall took to the royal box in 2012, watching Roger Federer take on Fabio Fognini in the second round.
2018
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The Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex went to Wimbledon for the first time together in July 2018. Catherine wore a printed dress by Jenny Packham, while Meghan looked sharp in preppy stripes by Ralph Lauren and carried a Maison Michel sunhat.
2019
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In her role as as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the Duchess of Cambridge presented the trophy to Novak Djokovic in 2019, wearing a periwinkle Emilia Wickstead dress and pearl earrings.
2019
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex took to the stands in a casual combination of a white blazer and indigo denim jeans to watch her friend Serena Williams play against Kaja Juvan during the 2019 championships.
2019
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In 2019, the Duchesses sat together in the Royal Box once again. Kate wore green Dolce & Gabbana, while Meghan opted for a crisp white shirt and a pleated skirt by Hugo Boss.
Karwai Tang
Catherine, Princess of Wales wore a royal purple dress by Safiyaa to present the winner’s trophy to Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in 2024.
Karwai Tang
Princess Beatrice’s bright summery florals at Wimbledon in 2024 mirrored those of Princess Diana’s in the ’80s (the eagle-eyed will spot Lena Dunham also watching on in the background).
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Princess Beatrice in the Royal Box on day one of Wimbledon in 2025.
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Naomi Pike is the Miss Vogue editor at British Vogue. She oversees the editorial output of the youth-focused strand across the website and social channels, as well as contributing to other areas of Vogue.co.uk. Originally from South Wales, Naomi relocated to London to study at London College of Fashion, where ... Read More