Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Birgit, Duchess of Gloucester were among those spotted in the iconic Royal Box at Center Court last week, with Kate, Duchess of Cambridge appearing in the club today. But one royal who wasn’t among them, and is unlikely to visit anytime soon, is Queen Elizabeth II. The 96-year-old monarch, who celebrated her Platinum Jubilee last month, has only been to Wimbledon four times during her 70-year reign. But according to members of the royal family, Her Majesty has a very good reason for avoiding the Grand Slam – she simply “dislikes” tennis. Journalist Ainhoa Barcelona explained the monarch’s apathy for the sport and the SW19 competition last year. JUST IN: Kate ‘killed’ by her dad Michael Middleton after embarrassing blunder at Wimbledon Writing in Hello! magazine, she said: “It was never her favorite sport and, in the past, she always watched Wimbledon as a patron.” Respected royal biographer Brian Hoey also recently explained the Queen’s dislike of tennis. In his 2020 book, Royalty Revealed: A Majestic Miscellany, he wrote: “Tennis is not on the list of favorite sports of the royal family.” He also claimed that the monarch’s only daughter, Princess Anne, was not a fan of Wimbledon. He said: “The Princess Royal isn’t too enthusiastic either, saying Wimbledon is too much of a ‘cauldron’. Royal author Teresa Paddington also lists tennis among the Queen’s “dislikes” in her 2012 book, The Elizabeth II Pocket Bible. Her Majesty’s last visit to Wimbledon was in 2010 when she watched Andy Murray beat Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen. Both men bowed to the Queen, who along with Prince Charles is one of only two people players have to honor in this way. Before the Queen entered the royal box, she met tennis legends past and present in the members’ enclosure. They included Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic, Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick. DON’T MISS: Meghan Markle’s ‘awkward’ moment that stunned Wimbledon fan: ‘It was awful’ [LATEST]Kate stunned royal fans when she broke protocol to kiss Roger Federer THREE times [INSIGHT]Nick Kyrgios’ royal roots revealed as mother’s little-known princess title revealed [ANALYSIS] The monarch’s trip to Wimbledon was her first appearance at the championships for 33 years. Her previous visit was in 1977, the year Britain’s Virginia Wade won the women’s singles competition. Prior to these championships, the Queen’s last outing on Center Court was in 1962, where she presented the Wimbledon trophy to Australian legend Rod Laver. Five years earlier, in 1957, Her Majesty made her first visit to the championships during her reign. This visit was particularly historic as Althea Gibson became the first black player to win Wimbledon. The Queen presented the trophy to the American, who was just a year older than the monarch herself. Although not fond of tennis, Her Majesty has a long history with Wimbledon, having been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) for 64 years. He finally handed the honor to Kate in 2017. AELTC chairman Philip Brooke, who announced the handover, said at the time: “We would like to thank Her Majesty for her long and unwavering service to the club and the leagues during her time as our patron. “It was a great honor to welcome Her Majesty to Wimbledon in 2010 and we remain extremely proud of her role in the history of the club and the championships.”
