By Clare Lovell
LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) – Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, mingled with the crowds at Wimbledon on Thursday, chatted with stewards and former competitors and lent her support to the British hopefuls playing in the warm London sunshine.
Dressed in a striking blue trouser suit, the 44-year-old wife of heir to the throne Prince William, watched Arthur Fery, one of the last Britons remaining in the draw, in his early games against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen on Court 18. The 23-year-old wildcard went on to win 5-7 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3.
In a courtside interview, a delighted Fery said he might have felt more nervous had he realised royalty was in the house.
“I didn’t know she was here. I probably would have been a bit more tight if I did,” the French-born Fery said.
“There is lots of support at home in the UK so it’s fantastic to play in front of them. It’s great to do it for the UK. Selfishly I am doing it for myself first – but I’m always behind the other players and wishing them success.”
The princess later switched to Court One, accompanied by double Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, where Katie Swan was battling 26th seed Madison Keys of the United States.
But the 27-year-old Swan, also a wildcard after slipping low in the rankings following a back problem that threatened her career, could not capitalise on the royal support and went down 6-1 6-4.
“I wish I could have had a better result with her supporting me, but, I mean, it’s amazing to know that she was there,” Swan said.
Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion and a quarter-finalist twice at Wimbledon, arrived fresh from taking the Eastbourne grasscourt title and was just too powerful for Swan.
The princess, who is an enthusiastic tennis fan and patron of the All England Club, earlier talked to people who had been queuing since the early hours to enter the grounds and chatted to workers in the ticket office.
But she was gone by the time another British wildcard Jacob Fearnley fought hard for nearly three hours but succumbed eventually to the big-serving Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-4 7-6(3) 6-4.
A fourth Briton Jan Choinski, ranked 100, was taking on American 17th seed Frances Tiafoe as the shadows lengthened on the bowl-like Court Two, bidding to join Fery in the third round.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Clare Lovell in London; Editing by Alison Williams)
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