Watch: Kate watches women’s final at Wimbledon after period of self-isolation
From tennis to rowing, from football to skiing, the Duchess of Cambridge is a fan or a player of them all.
Kate, 39, will join a roster of sporty monarchs when she one day takes the throne as queen consort alongside her husband Prince William.
Over the weekend, she enjoyed the finals of both the ladies and gentlemen’s singles competitions at Wimbledon, soaking in the atmosphere of centre court with her husband William and her father, Michael Middleton.
It’s easy to see how much the duchess enjoys watching the tennis at the iconic SW19 venue – and she loves playing, too.
It’s reported she had a tennis court added to the grounds of Anmer Hall, their Norfolk home, when they married, and she and her family are friends with tennis great Roger Federer.
What Kate loves to spectate
Kate is a regular at Wimbledon each year, and not just because she’s a patron of the All England Tennis Club. She loved taking in the tennis, even when she wasn’t royalty, and was spotted court-side before she married William.
The Royal Family website notes sailing, tennis and hockey as the particular sports she enjoyed when she was growing up, and refences her as a “keen tennis fan”.
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Though it’s her husband who has previously been associated with football, the duchess showed she also enjoys it as she attended two matches during the UEFA Euro Championships.
She went with William and their son Prince George to England’s matches against Germany and Italy, and showed how invested she was when she put her head in her hands as England lost on penalties in the final.
Kate has long supported William when he plays in polo matches too, and she often takes George, Charlotte and Louis with her to enjoy a day out while he plays.
She has taken well to the Royal Family love of horses, attending events like Royal Ascot with the wider family as well as watching William play polo.
However it’s thought that racing is not one of her favourite sports, and she and William did not attend Royal Ascot in 2021.
How Kate stays fit
It’s not just watching sport that Kate loves – she’ll give most sports a go when it comes to playing, too.
Over the years, royal watchers have seen her get stuck in to all sorts of sports when she is on her royal engagements.
She is said to run to keep fit, and even once recorded a video for Instagram before heading out on a run in Norfolk.
She’s raced her husband and brother-in-law at the Olympic Park, and even challenged Jessica Ennis-Hill during an event for SportsAid in February 2020.
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Kate often looks happiest when she has a racquet in hand though.
In the early years of their marriage, William and Kate submitted plans to move a tennis court at Anmer Hall which had fallen into disrepair and replace the surface with AstroTurf.
And she counts former world number one Federer as a friend – who has given her son George a few casual tennis lessons.
Federer called George a “sweet boy” who had a “good swing” and said: “His mum has always enjoyed tennis. I hope he’ll stay the same in a few years’ time and this is not just an in-the-moment situation.”
It’s not just lawn tennis – Kate has also proved herself a dab hand at table tennis at many engagements. It helps bring out her the competitive spirit between her and William too, as they love to challenge each other in front of the cameras.
Other sports she’s tried at least once include hurling, Gaelic football, cricket, volleyball and land yachting.
She’s even tried boxing, basketball, and archery.
What’s more impressive is that she often doesn’t let her footwear put her off – happily getting involved even if she’s in stilettos.
She even impressively played her part in a volleyball game in October 2013 for SportsAid, when she had only given birth to son George in July of that year.
She and William are honorary life members of Lords Cricket Club.
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Although she enjoyed watching football with her son and husband at Wembley, she’s previously said that George doesn’t think much of her skills.
In 2019, during a visit to Northern Ireland, she told kids at the Windsor Park stadium that George had told her “Mummy, you’re so rubbish” when it came to the sport.
She added: “I should have picked up some tips from George.”
She is at home however on the water, both in sailing and rowing, and on the slopes.
William and Kate set up and took part in the King’s Cup Regatta in 2019 and took it very seriously – as is to be expected from the couple.
They hoped that The King’s Cup would become an annual event bringing greater awareness to the wider benefits of sport, and raising support and funds for Action on Addiction, Place2Be, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, The Royal Foundation, Child Bereavement UK, Centrepoint, London’s Air Ambulance Charity and Tusk.
Of course the event couldn’t go ahead in 2020 and the couple has not announced any plans for a 2021 event.
As William took the first win, it’s possible Kate is looking forward to bringing it back so she can level up the score board.
Kate and William are also known to love their skiing holidays, and have regularly jetted off to enjoy some time on the slopes around the world.
One of their first holidays as a family of four, before the arrival of Prince Louis, was a skiing break.
She also loves to row, and while still William’s girlfriend, trained with the Sisterhood for a cross-Channel dragon boat race in 2007.
However she had to pull out reportedly on orders of the Queen, because of the paparazzi attention on the sessions which were being held on the River Thames.
The duchess has many sporting patronages, from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, to Sportsaid, to CoachCore.
Fuelled by her belief that sport “has the power to engage, educate and inspire and change lives for the better” it’s a sure thing we’ll see her just doing it for years to come.
Watch: Prince William and Kate take their seats for Wimbledon final