Kate Middleton may be known for her poise and elegance — especially when seated in the royal box at Wimbledon — but even she isn’t immune to the occasional cringe-worthy family moment.
In a throwback interview featured in Sue Barker’s 2017 BBC documentary Our Wimbledon, the Princess of Wales opened up about one particularly awkward encounter involving her father, Michael Middleton, and a case of mistaken tennis identity that left her red-faced.
Sue Barker, a longtime fixture of Wimbledon broadcasting, recalled visiting Kensington Palace to interview Kate for the documentary. “She was so lovely to talk to,” Barker wrote later, adding that the Princess had tried to put the crew at ease by saying she was nervous — though Barker suspects it was just to be kind. “She was a natural in front of the camera, and what came across was her deep love of the game from an early age.”
Kate fondly spoke about how tennis had always been a “family passion” in the Middleton household. The family often queued up for tickets to Wimbledon during the summer, well before Kate became a member of the Royal Family.
But one year, things didn’t go quite as smoothly.
“We were walking past Tim Henman,” Kate recalled, “and we had just watched Pete Sampras play. My dad, trying to be very cool, nodded and said, ‘Hi Pete’—to Tim Henman!” She laughed, adding, “I was mortified!”
Even royals, it seems, have to survive those classic dad moments.
A few more Middletons vs Wimbledon blunders
That wasn’t the only Wimbledon hiccup involving the Middleton family. In the same summer of 2017, Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton and their mother Carole were reportedly denied access to the royal box after arriving late to a match featuring Andy Murray and Benoit Paire.
Wimbledon’s punctuality rules are famously strict, and guests who miss the match start time often have to forfeit their premium seating. As a result, Pippa and Carole were seated in standard rows behind the box instead of joining Kate.
The following year brought yet another awkward moment when Pippa was unintentionally ignored by a Wimbledon champion — a small, blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but enough to get picked up by tabloids.
Still, these minor slip-ups only add to the charm of the family. Despite their high profile, the Middletons’ relatable missteps at Wimbledon remind fans that even royalty isn’t immune to an embarrassing dad joke — or a fashionably late arrival.