The Duchess Wears Alessandra Rich as Prince George Goes to Wimbledon for the First Time

Prince George joined his parents for the first time at Wimbledon today.

The Cambridges were there for the Gentlemen’s Singles Final match between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios.  Many royal fans posted on social media about Prince Williams’s first trip to Wimbledon in 1991.

Prince George’s first appearance at Wimbledon today will no doubt draw comparison’s to Prince William’s debut in 1991 when he joined his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales for the Ladies Final #Wimbledon #PrinceGeorge #DukeandDuchessofCambridge ???? pic.twitter.com/miM5C13alH

— Rebecca Russell (@RMRussell29) July 10, 2022

Below, the royals today as they crossed the bridge from the Millenium building to Centre Court.

Before the match, Prince George and the Duchess met Dylan Mulvey, who did today’s coin toss.

More about Dylan from this My London story. 

Dylan Mulvey will take part in the ceremony after being nominated by a fundraising officer at St George’s Hospital Charity in recognition of his fundraising efforts for the hospital.

Dylan won after he decided to take part in an abseil down the 13-storey Pelican tower to say thank you to St. George’s Hospital for looking after his grandparents in their end-of-life care.

A closer look at the special coins used for the toss.

Dylan and his family were given a tour of the Wimbledon grounds.  This is Dylan and his younger brother Aidan.  

A quick video. 

Very sweet photos of #PrinceGeorge arriving at Wimbledon with the #PrinceWilliam and Kte #DuchessofCambridge for the mens final pic.twitter.com/ahDlz63j2O

— Carolyn Durand (@CarolynDurand) July 10, 2022

And from The Telegraph’s coverage.

When [the Duchess was] asked about Prince George coming to Wimbledon, she said to him: “Is this your first time? It is, isn’t it?” to which he replied: “Yes.”

When asked why Princess Charlotte was not there, she said: “It’s George’s treat today.”

Prince George was also asked who he was going to support and appeared too shy to answer – so the Duke of Cambridge looked at him and whispered: “Djokovic,” before adding: “We’ll see how long it lasts. He’ll support the winner.”

The trio settled into the royal box. 

Prince George with a wave.

The Duchess chatting with George, who is said to be a tennis fan.  Roger Federer has spoken about giving him lessons.

It looks like the Duke was explaining something to Prince George in this photo. 

The match drew a big crowd on Wimbledon’s hill.

There was also a big crowd for the match in Brooklyn, New York.  More from this WPIX piece. 

In London, Brits who don’t have tickets to Wimbledon will secure a spot on the grass, also known as the Hill, outside the courts and watch the matches live on a big television screen.

And at Brooklyn Bridge Park, New Yorkers can have that same experience, but with a waterfront view of Lower Manhattan. Once visitors arrive, they’re greeted by Wimbledon stewards who are dressed the part. Once inside, they can traditionally lay out their picnic blankets and watch the games.

NOTE: As pointed out by Carolyn in a comment, the Times information on the hill is inaccurate. A ticket for the Grounds is required to access the hill.

Among the tennis legends at today’s match, Australia’s John Newcombe. 

Chris Evert and her brother John. (NOTE: The post originally said this was Ms. Evert’s husband, which is incorrect.) 

You can see Stan Smith just behind the Duchess (in the navy jacket) with his wife, Marjory Gengler Smith.

Some may recall Mr. Smith giving the Duchess a pair of Stan Smith shoes for Prince Louis in 2019. 

Another Australian great at today’s match, Rod Laver.

With thanks to Anne for her comment pointing it out, behind Mr. Laver you can see HRH Princess Alexandra, a cousin to the Queen.  

Other notable names on hand included Tom Cruise.

Kate Winslet.

And Tom Hiddleston.

I don’t have photos of other royal family members in attendance, but Lady Gabriella Windsor and her husband, Thomas Kingston were at the match, as well as Lord Frederick Windsor, and his wife Sophie Winkleman. 

Prince George enjoying the scene at Centre Court.

Here you see the Duchess and Ian Hewitt (on the Duchess’s right), chairman of the All England Club.  The Duchess is the club’s royal patron.

Nick Kyrgios hands Dylan the coin for today’s toss.

Mr. Djokovic and Mr. Kyrgios right after the toss. 

Some background on the players and this match from the NY Times. 

Djokovic’s impetuous and contrarian behavior, especially compared with his chief rivals, the gentlemanly Nadal and Roger Federer, has long made him more feared than loved, a crasher of the binary tennis rivalry that Federer and Nadal first created more than 15 years ago.

Kyrgios, a temperamental and explosive talent who has spent his career battling the tennis establishment and his own demons, is an uncontrollable and disruptive force who has put himself in the heat of the Wimbledon spotlight since the first days of this tournament.

 He has earned $14,000 in fines this tournament but has played to packed stadiums, with fans lusting for his booming serve, or the occasional underhanded one, and his through-the-legs trick shots.

A shot from the first set.

The Cambridges as the match got underway.

A wider shot of the royal box.

The temperature at the start of the match was 84°.

Prince George sharing a laugh with his mother. 

At some points, Prince George looked like he was very much into the match.

I’m not sure what he was reacting to here.  (Perhaps some of the language heard on the court?)Another view.

Mr. Djokovic reaches for the ball.

The scene at Centre Court for the championship match.

The match was decided after four sets, with Mr. Djokovic the victor.

The competitors after the three-hour and one-minute match.

From Wimbledon’s story about the match. 

Playing in the broiling heat of the All England Club, where temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius, and with his opponent regularly talking to himself and his players’ box between points, Djokovic also put himself level with his boyhood idol Pete Sampras on seven titles. 

Now only Roger Federer, with eight, has won more.

The Duchess then headed to Centre Court for the awards presentation. 

The Duchess meeting Wimbledon employees.

The Duchess was greeted by Sally Bolton OBE, the All England Club CEO.

Prince George and the Duke as they watched the presentation. 

First, the Gentlemen’s Singles runner-up’s award.

Another view. 

And then the winner’s Cup.

The Cup is made of silver gilt and stands 18 inches high.   

You can see Mr. Djokovic’s name was added to the Cup again before the award ceremony.

The inscription reads, “The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World”.  The Cup stays at Wimbledon and champions are given a three-quarter size replica.

A wide shot. 

As is customary after a finals match, the gentlemen did brief interviews while on Centre Court.  From Mr. Kyrgios: 

Yeah, he’s a bit of a god, I thought I had played well. I want to congratulate Novak, I don’t how now many times he was won it. And thank the umpires and ball girls and ball boys, i know we have a tough relationship at times. I am so tired. Our team has played so much tennis. I am really happy, it’s the best result of my career so far. Maybe I will be back again, maybe not.

And from Mr. Djokovic’s remarks: 

Nick, you’ll be back. Not just in Wimbledon but in many finals. You showed why you are one of the best players in the world. Congrats to you and your team. I wish you all the best, man. I really think you are an amazing talent. I never thought I’m going to say so many nice things about you, considering the relationship! OK, it’s officially a bromance! Hopefully this is the start of a wonderful friendship. Let’s start with dinner and drinks and we will see.

I lost words for what this trophy means. It has always been and always will be the most special tournament. Realising a childhood dream in winning this trophy. Every year it gets more meaningful, I am really blessed. The most special court in the world. I am extremely happy and grateful to be here.

The Cambridges chatted with the champion after the ceremonies were over.   

“Don’t drop it!” ????

It’s been a special first #Wimbledon visit for Prince George ????#CentreCourt100 | @KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/VKXg06hPCU

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2022

Now for our look at what Kate wore.

We begin with the Alessandra Rich polka dot dress. 

The dress is 100% silk, with a wide collar, puffed and gathered sleeves, a peplum waist, and bow at the neckline.

The dress is available in limited sizing at Net-a-Porter ($1305) and also at Matches Fashion ($1305).  Many thanks to Katie for the ID.

The Duchess accessorized with her Alessandra Rich two-tone heels ($745). 

The eagle-eyed Middleton Maven noted the Duchess’s PA (personal assistant) was carrying the Quincy Tote by Victoria Beckham that was first seen at Wimbledon in 2016. 

The Duchess wore her sapphire and diamond pendant and earrings, along with her Wimbledon members’ pin. 

We also saw the return of the Bulgari 8170 sunglasses (out of stock). 

There was some discussion on the WKW Facebook page about Prince George wearing a suit and tie.  Wimbledon’s Royal Box dress code page notes, “Protocol – dress is smart, suits/jacket and tie, etc.  Ladies are asked not to wear hats, as they tend to obscure the vision of those seated behind them.” The Duchess wore a hat for the Gentlemen’s Doubles match yesterday; I read in several places the dress code was relaxed this weekend because of the heat.   

One more image from today, as the Cambridges head home after the match.

VIDEOS: 

This video from Wimbledon shows the final point being played. 

Centre Court rises again for one of its great champions

Congratulations, @DjokerNole ​????​#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/RAm2mm56pS

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2022

Wimbledon posted the full 2-minute+ video of the Cambridges with Novak Djokovic. 

The Royal Family Channel offers 3+ minutes from today’s engagement.