While Royal Ascot largely defines royal fashion moments in June, Wimbledon ushers in a new royal dress code for July! What can we expect to see in the royal box?
The Wimbledon Championships take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club each summer.
The two week tournament is the most famous tennis tournament in the world and began in 1877. It has long been a popular summer event for the Royal Family with several members attending each year.
The Princess of Wales is the Patron of the club – a role previously held by Queen Elizabeth II who passed it on to Catherine in 2016. The Duke of Kent was President of the All England Club for decades until his retirement and always used to present the trophies, a job now taken on by the Princess of Wales.
The Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot is known for its specific and formal dress code (albeit one that is slowly evolving). Wimbledon’s dress code is a tad more flexible, with the club sharing that “dress is smart, suits/jacket and tie, etc. Ladies are asked not to wear hats, as they tend to obscure the vision of those seated behind them.”
Princess Beatrice and Sarah, Duchess of York, attended Wimbledon on day one of this year’s Championships. Beatrice chose a light, striped set from Sandro while her mother chose a bright green floral dress from Me + Em.
The mother and daughter duo watched a thrilling five set match between defending men’s champion, Carlos Alcarez, and Italian player, Fabio Fognini which went to five sets. As the baking hot afternoon wore on (the warmest opening day on record at Wimbledon), Princess Beatrice added a stylist straw fedora to her look.
The Princess of Wales often draws on British designers for her Wimbledon looks and has worn several different designers, including Alexander McQueen, Catherine Walker, Emilia Wickstead, and Jonathan Saunders.
