The Duke of Kent joined in an emotional standing ovation on Monday at Wimbledon for the woman behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine vaccine, Dame Sarah Gilbert.
Before the tennis got underway on the opening day of the Wimbledon Championships, an announcement was made over the loud speaker that the creator of the vaccine was in attendance at the match.
The Duke of Kent joins in an unprompted standing ovation on the first day of Wimbledon for Dame Sarah Gilbert – the woman behind the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine pic.twitter.com/WL2xlw9Zec
— Charlie Proctor (@MonarchyUK) June 28, 2021
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As the cameras zoomed in on Dame Sarah, the crowd erupted cheers and a round of applause, before getting to their feet in an unprompted standing ovation.
Dame Sarah was sat alongside her colleagues in the Royal Box alongside the Duke of Kent who also rose to his feet in appreciation.
Also present on the opening day of Wimbledon were NHS staff who were being honoured for their service during the global health emergency, as well as inspirational workers in the community.
BBC commentator and former tennis player Boris Becker said afterwards: “What an emotional moment starting the championship off.”
The Duke of Kent has been long associated with Wimbledon, having become president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 1969.
The Duke succeeded his mother, Princess Marina, as president following her death, and has attended the championships regularly ever since.
Despite being one of the hardest working members of The Royal Family for seven decades, the Duke is probably still best known by the public for being the person who presents the trophies at Wimbledon.
The championships were cancelled in 2020 due to the seriousness of the global health emergency.
After a two-year hiatus, crowds are able to attend this year’s tournament, however, tickets are limited to only 50% capacity.
The capacity will slowly increase over the coming two weeks, until eventually, there will be a full crowd in centre-court for the finals.
