None Of The Wimbledon Players Bowed Or Curtseyed For Queen Camilla
For over 100 years, the Royal Box at Wimbledon has been reserved for the world's A-list. Anna Wintour, David Beckham, and Jeff Bezos are just a few people who've been able to watch the Wimbledon championships from the best seats in the house, along the baseline of Centre Court. And, of course, when the royal family wants to visit — and that can be royals from around the world — they'll be in the Royal Box.
If you're a royal fan, whether you like tennis or not, Wimbledon is always a good time to check out some royal fashion. The official dress code for the Royal Box is "smart" and with no hats for the ladies; the royal family has put together some stunning Wimbledon looks over the years.
Camilla, Queen Consort, visited Wimbledon on July 12 in a long-sleeve white midi dress with black vertical striped piping, pearl earrings, and stylish round sunglasses. People noticed her outfit, but they also noticed that none of the Wimbledon players bowed or curtseyed to her. Camilla is married to the most senior royal in the U.K., so was it okay that she wasn't given any symbolic greetings from the players?
Since 2003, players haven't had to bow for all royals at Wimbledon
Camilla, Queen Consort, officially joined the royal family when she married then-Prince Charles in 2005, and that was two years after Wimbledon players were required to bow and curtsy to every member of the royal family in the Royal Box. And even after King Charles was crowned, Camilla's Wimbledon status didn't change. Here's a quick history of royal protocol at Wimbledon. It was the Duke of Kent, cousin of Queen Elizabeth, who changed things up. He was president of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) in 2003, and the club's chairman at the time explained the update, saying, "The Duke of Kent feels that during his lifetime the tradition of bowing and curtseying is pretty much on the way out. To do it very publicly on the centre court at Wimbledon doesn't seem right therefore," via The Guardian.
Winning players do have the option to bow or curtsy to the royal who gives them their award, but it's not a requirement. In 2021, after 50 years, the Duke of Kent stepped down as president of the AELTC. Catherine, Princess of Wales, who has been a royal patron of the AELTC since 2016, took over the role of presenting the Wimbledon men's winner with a trophy and the women's winner with a plate in 2022.
The monarch and the heir still get a bow or curtsy at Wimbledon
While bowing to any royal in the Royal Box at Wimbledon hasn't been a tradition for over 20 years, there were still two royals who got a Wimbledon bow after 2003 — Queen Elizabeth II and then-Prince Charles. It wasn't a protocol that was often needed, at least when it came to the queen. Queen Elizabeth wasn't a huge tennis fan, and she only attended Wimbledon four times during her 70-year reign. Her last appearance courtside at Wimbledon was in 2010. She hadn't been there since 1977, and she came to see British player Andy Murray compete against Finland's Jarkko Nieminen — Murray was the winner. Both players bowed to the queen three times from the court.
With the queen's death in 2022, it would stand to reason that King Charles III would continue to get a bow or curtsy and that potentially William, Prince of Wales would as well. Neither of the men have made an appearance at the 2023 Wimbledon tournament, so it remains to be seen if the protocol of bowing to the monarch and the heir still holds. There's a distinct possibility that Prince William will still make an appearance at Wimbledon this year, so we'll get a chance to see how he's greeted as the new Prince of Wales. He attended last year alongside Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their oldest son Prince George, who was making his first Wimbledon appearance.