Wimbledon, if you weren’t aware, is probably the major sporting event—the crown jewel, if you will—under the official patronage of the British royal family. Residents of Buckingham Palace have been showing up to their royal box at London’s All England Tennis Club for decades now, and just recently Queen Elizabeth II, who had been patron of Wimbledon for 64 years, bequeathed her role to Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. To be honest, it’s generally agreed that the Queen wasn’t much of a tennis fan—she much prefers horses, frankly—and has only shown up to watch just twice in the past 35 years. But Kate is a tennis enthusiast (just look at her joy here), as was Princess Diana, whose glamour cast a shadow over Centre Court during the Pete Sampras era. Here, a visual history of the royal family outings at Wimbledon, including newest fan Meghan Markle, who actually showed up in the royal box next to Prince Harry when they first started dating in 2016, and now can cheer her good friend Serena Williams on as a full-fledged royal.
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The Duke of York, later George VI (1895 – 1952), playing in a doubles match at Wimbledon with his partner Wing Commander Louis Greig in 1926. The Duke was an ace tennis player. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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A picture that makes sports history, snapped at Wimbledon, as Queen Elizabeth of England awarded the Wimbledon trophy to Alethea Gibson (center, back to camera), the U.S. star and first black women to ever take the title on July 7th, 1957. Althea beat Darlene in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-2. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Princess Anne in the royal box at Wimbledon watching the men’s singles final between John Newcombe and Wilhelm Bungert on July 7th, 1967. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Queen Elizabeth II awards Virginia Wade the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles trophy on July 1st, 1977. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Queen Elizabeth II presents the men’s singles trophy to champion Rod Laver on September 10th, 1962. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Princess Diana (center), and her sister, Sarah, at Wimbledon to watch tennis on July 3rd, 19881. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Top Image: Prince Charles watching a match between Dennis Ralston and John Newcombe during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on June 26th 1970. Photograph courtesy of Getty Images.
Bottom Image: 42 years later, Prince Charles acknowledges the Center Court crowd before the second round men’s singles match between Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Italy’s Fabio Fognini on day three of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament on June 27, 2012. Photograph Courtesy of Getty Images.
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Princess Diana and Prince William watching the women’s final at Wimbledon on July 6th, 1991. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Princess Diana with Prince William in the royal Box Centre court for the ladies singles final on July 2nd, 1994. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Princess Diana chats with the Prince of Kent after Pete Sampras wins the Men’s Final against Boris Becker of Germany at Wimbledon on July 9th, 1995. Photo courtesy of Getty images.
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Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Kent (L) ahead of the second round match between Andy Murray of Great Britain against Jarkko Nieminen of Finland on Day Four of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 24, 2010 in London, England. Photo courtesy of Getty images.
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Charles Delevingne and Princess Beatrice attend the semifinal round match between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Day Eleven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 1, 2011 in London, England. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Before she was royal, Meghan Markle attended day two of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at Wimbledon on June 28, 2016 in London, England. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Princess Cate and Prince William take part in the “wave” as they watch Rafael Nadal challenge Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro in a Men’s Singles match at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships at the all England tennis club in south-west London, on June 27th, 2011. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Princess Cate and Prince William applaud Roger Federer on his victory at Wimbledon on July 16, 2017 in London, England. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attends day four of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 04, 2019 in London, England, making headlines with her wardrobe choice. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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The Duchess of Cornwall in the royal box of centre court on day 9 of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon on July 10, 2019. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Baroness Sue Campbell in the royal box of centre court on day 8 of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon on July 9, 2019. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Pippa Matthews and James Middleton in the royal box of centre court on day 7 of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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The Duchess of Cambridge in the royal box on day 12 of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon on July 13, 2019. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
