It was a day of incredible tennis for the Duchess of Cambridge.
Apart from Wimbledon, a certain football match is very much at the forefront
of the nation's minds. Upon arrival, Kate was asked about England v Italy and
said she's keeping her fingers crossed.
The Duchess was joined by her father Michael Middleton for the day. Yesterday
we chatted about the Middleton family's love of the sport. Over the past week
we've seen Michael, Carole, Pippa and her husband James courtside. Kate is
incredibly close to her family and from Mike's lovely words when William and
Kate confirmed their engagement to glimpses of him with his grandchildren over
the years, he's always struck me as a lovely man and a fantastic husband,
father and grandfather. It was great to see the duo together today.
Kate and Mike's first port of call was Court No. 3 where Britain's Gordon Reid
was beaten by Belgium's Joachim Gerard in the men's wheelchair singles
final.
On Twitter, Kensington Palace congratulated both players on their "fantastic
performances" throughout the tournament.
The BBC reports:
'Reid, who won the doubles title with Alfie Hewett on Saturday, lost 6-2
7-6 (7-2). The Scot, 29, had trailed 4-1 in the second set before mounting
a fightback to force a tie-break but Gerard was more consistent.
"It's a tough speech to make. Sometimes you have to say I lost to the
better player," an emotional Reid said. Reid had been chasing his second
Wimbledon singles title after victory in 2016.'
From there, Kate and Mike made their way to the Royal Box for the much
anticipated final between Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini.
The coin toss was performed by 13-year-old Sean Seresinhe who represented
youth mental health charity Off the Record Counselling.
The first set saw Italian Berrettini make a number of excellent shots before
taking the lead in the tie-break.
It was filled with tense moments...
The Duchess closely watched every point.
It wasn't long before Djokovic began to dominate taking sets two and
three.
And with a fourth set victory claimed his sixth Wimbledon singles title.
Wimbledon reports:
'Centre Court has never tasted so good. Novak Djokovic, the self-styled
"wolf" of Wimbledon with a hunger for the All England Club's
pineapple-topped trophy and striped lawns, snacked on the grass in
celebration after coming from a set down against Matteo Berrettini to
win The Championships for a sixth time.
Eating the court has become Djokovic's signature move - he had also
done so on every previous occasion he had won this title - but this time
it was different, this time the rye grass would have been all the
sweeter.
This was the afternoon, loaded with tennis history, when the World No.1
put himself level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 Grand Slam
singles titles, and also three quarters of the way to becoming the first
man since Australia's Rod Laver in 1969 to accomplish the near-mythical
calendar-year Grand Slam.
By adding the Wimbledon title to this season's triumphs at the
Australian Open and Roland-Garros, the Serbian was also advancing the
argument that he should ultimately be considered the GOAT, the Greatest
of All Time, in the men's game.'
The world number one said: "Winning Wimbledon was always the biggest dream
for me when I was a kid. A seven-year-old boy in Serbia constructing a
Wimbledon trophy with improvised materials and standing here with a sixth
real trophy is incredible. It is amazing."
It was a bittersweet day for the Duke of Kent who stepped down as All England
Club president after more than fifty years. The Duke has presented the trophy
on over 350 occasions to players including Rod Laver, Ann Jones, Roger Federer
and Serena Williams. Speaking about his years of service The Duke said: "It
has been an honour to serve this remarkable institution for as long as I have.
To have seen this tournament, and the game of tennis, grow and inspire
generations over the span of five decades has been an extraordinary
experience, and I am incredibly proud to have been part of it. I look forward
now to watching as the young players of today pursue ever higher standards of
excellence, and I shall continue to cheer them on as they do."
As a thank you, the Duke was presented with a replica of the Gentlemen’s
Singles Championship Trophy on Centre Court. Several members of the Kent
family attended today's match.
It has very much been a family affair for the Kents.
More from the Telegraph:
'His wife, the Duchess of Kent, 88, was also a regular fixture, often
presenting the women’s trophy until she retired from public duties in
2001. As he described, the presidency has been very much a family
affair.
The Duke took over from his mother, Princess Marina, who held the role
for 26 years until 1968, making the presentations at the end of each
tournament. She was diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly after her last
appearance and died a few weeks later, aged 61.
She had succeeded the Duke’s father, Prince George, who was at the helm
from 1929 until his death in a plane crash in 1942 when he was 39.'
Ian Hewitt, Chairman of the AELTC and The Championships, said:
"We would like to thank the Duke for his extraordinary service to The
Club and The Championships during his time as our President.
A lot has changed at Wimbledon in the time that The Duke has been our
President, from our champions to our Grounds, and yet so much has stayed
the same. Our traditions are at the core of what we do, and we thank The
Duke most warmly for his dedication."
Very fittingly, the BBC reports the Duchess of Cambridge will succeed the Duke
of Kent as president.
A lovely photo of Kate shared by Wimbledon.
The Duchess was pretty in pink wearing Beulah London's Ahana dress.
The £695 piece is described as: "It is crafted from blush-hued wool and shaped
to a fit and flare silhouette with a short stand neckline, cropped sleeves and
sweeping skirt that's belted at the waist for a figure-defining fit". It's
also been worn by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark in beige.
The Duchess wore her
Aldo Nicholes block heel shoes.
Kate accessorised with her Mappin & Webb Empress earrings and Ray Ban Chris sunglasses.
Kate carried her vintage beaded Josef clutch.
And wore her Amaia Kids face mask in pink pepper.
It was a wonderful tournament. Congratulations to all winners and to the
Duchess on her new role as president.
Now a surprise appearance! Over the weekend we've been chatting about the
Euros and the possibility we might see Kate there. The Duchess and Prince
George have joined Prince William for the match.
Embed from Getty Images
Prince George's reaction to an early goal :)
I read earlier tennis champion Marion Bartoli revealed whilst chatting with
William and Kate yesterday that William wanted George to wear a jersey for the
match. She added: "William was for it, Kate not so keen, so we'll see."
It was an unforgettable game with an additional thirty minutes and penalties. Finally Italy won 3-2. Afterwards William tweeted: "You’ve all come so far, but sadly this time it wasn’t our day. You can all hold your heads high, and be so proud of yourselves — I know there’s more to come".
The Duchess was in England's red and white.
Embed from Getty Images
Kate wore her white ZARA blazer, a piece she's worn for several years.
We saw Kate's Lauren Ralph Lauren Nadalia top.
The Duchess wore her black croc belt by Anderson's. It's available
at Net-A-Porter.
The Duchess accessorised with her
Astley Clarke lapis necklace. It is described as: "A celebration of vibrancy, this demi-fine Stilla gemstone pendant features a captivating table-cut lapis lazuli gem, set in 18 carat yellow gold plated sterling silver, and uses a spectacle setting to display the entire blue gemstone and show its complexities beautifully. This gemstone pendant is finished with a gold nugget detail and our signature Astley Clarke star-set lapis lazuli tag."
An outstanding effort by all involved. Congratulations to our friends in Italy on their victory :)
