The Duchess arriving this morning.
The Duchess was in attendance in her role as patron. The Queen passed her patronage of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in December 2016. It was an ideal fit for the Duchess, who has been attending almost every year since her pre-engagement days.
The entire Middleton family adore tennis, with Kate once revealing Roger Federer is her mother's secret crush. Kate's also a keen amateur player. The Cambridges have a tennis court at their country home Anmer Hall where they enjoy a spot of friendly competition. Kate revealed George and Charlotte are already taking it up - it won't be long until Louis joins his siblings.
Spot the Duchess...
During the fortnight of spectacular tennis, spectators from all over the world descend upon the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for what promises to be unforgettable tennis. A parade of glamorous style will be on display, 320,000 glasses of Pimm's and 140,000 portions of English strawberries will be consumed. Steeped in tradition, it is also the only tennis major played on grass, with players donning white, precisely as they did a century ago. It is the only Grand Slam tournament with a Royal Box.
Upon arrival, the Duchess met a number of finalists and winners nominated for the annual LTA Tennis Awards which took place today.
The awards recognise volunteers and supporters who devote their time at grassroots level to growing the sport and encouraging players.
Kate chatted to staff and volunteers involved in the game.
Kate visited Aorangi Park to see the practice courts and warm up area.
The terrace is named after Aorangi Park, the London New Zealand Rugby Club's grounds, which were on the site until 1981. Aorangi refers to the Māori description of Aoraki, the highest mountain in New Zealand. In the 1990s, a huge new screen was installed on the site at the peak of British player Tim Henman's popularity. Over the course of his career, it became affectionately known as "Henman Hill".
In recent years, fans have taken to calling Aorangi "Murray Mound".
Speaking of Andy Murray, it was just lovely to see Kate with him today. It's been an incredibly difficult year for the three-time Grand Slam winner. A painful hip injury led Andy to announce his retirement from singles tennis in January. I remember watching the press conference and Andy was visibly devastated. The whole nation felt for him that day and mourned the end of the career of one of Britain's finest ever players. Since then, there's been positive news for the Olympic champion - following a "life changing" hip surgery Andy is participating in the doubles at Wimbledon this year.
The Duchess chatted with British player Johanna Konta.
Kate talked to Johanna about her match later in the day and asked about her thoughts on the new roof at the tournament.
Whilst we're accustomed to seeing Kate in the Royal Box, her first port of call was Court 14 this morning as she lent her support to British wildcard Harriet Dart. Harriet was nurtured and supported by Kate's patronage SportsAid for years.
The Telegraph reports: "A spokeswoman for the All England Club said: "We are delighted that the duchess in her capacity as Patron of the AELTC was keen to see the full breadth of The Championships and we were pleased to facilitate a visit to watch play on the outside courts and to watch practice at Aorangi Park." Kate was joined by players Anne Keothavong and Katie Boulter.
Dart played a three-set match against American player Christina McHale and proved victorious after a very strong performance. Kate said she "very much enjoyed" the game.
From there, the Duchess moved to Centre Court and took her seat in the Royal Box to watch an afternoon of terrific tennis between Angelique Kerber and Tatjana Maria before watching Roger Federer win his first round match.
A fun video from Hello! of Kate's best expressions.
It was 'Wimbledon White' for the Duchess in the 1940s inspired Suzannah Wiggle dress (with thanks to Caroline Parr).
The £1,850 dress is made from Italian silk crepe and is lined throughout the bodice and skirt in lightweight silk habotai. It's described as: "A re-interpretation from our own archive. The original inspiration derives from a late 1940’s Wiggle Dress, which we have re-cut to have a skimming fit over the bodice and fluid gentle soft movement throughout the skirt hemline. The silhouette is contoured around the waist with delicate pin-tucks. Pin-tucks are also placed at the front yoke detail. The dress is designed to be an elegant tea-length. The silhouette has beautiful half sleeves with buttoned cuff. Contrasting silk covered buttons are a simple closure and a beautiful delicate feature, with the buttons working from double to single breasted down the centre front."
It's available for pre-order with a six week lead-time.
Kate wore her Gianvito Rossi Piper block heel shoes. They are available at My Theresa.
Kate accessorised with her Catherine Zoraida Fern Hoop earrings.
A closer look.
Kate carried Alexander McQueen's Wicca raffia satchel (with thanks to UFO No More). It's available in several colours at FarFetch.
Kate removed the original belt from the dress and added her McQueen Bow-Front Leather Waist Belt.
Kate wore her citrine cocktail ring. She's had the piece for years.
And debuted a new pair of Ray Ban Sunglasses (with thanks to UFO No More). The Wayfarer II Classic style retail for $230 at Sunglasses Hut.
Kate sported an official Wimbledon bow in the official purple and green colours.
I expect we'll see Kate at the tournament at least once more.
I expect we'll see Kate at the tournament at least once more.
