The Duchess of Cambridge has narrated a special short film to mark what would have been the opening day of Wimbledon 2020. Tennis fan Kate, who has attended the tournament most years since becoming a royal, provided a moving voiceover for the footage, which was shared by Wimbledon's Twitter account.
READ: Why Kate Middleton was once forced to miss Wimbledon
WATCH: Kate narrates moving video for Wimbledon tennis tournament
The Duchess says: "350 days, 14 hours and 12 minutes between the last ball hit and when the next was meant to be. Over the years your support has shaped this historic event. No matter the time of day or the names on the scoreboard, you have always been there, come rain or shine. This year sadly though things are very different, but we will bide our time until we sit on the edge of our seats again and celebrate again. So, when the time is right and we open the gates, we will be back again and it will have been worth the wait."
Kate became patron of the AELTC in 2016, taking over from the Queen, who had held the role for 64 years. The mum-of-three was pictured at the Championships in the years before she became a member of the royal family and she even wrote officials a letter in 2008, thanking them for a "wonderfully relaxed day".
MORE: Why the Queen has only attended Wimbledon four times in her life
Kate at last year's Wimbledon
The Duchess watched Andy Murray win the men's final in 2013 and 2016, and last year she surprised the crowd on court 14, as she watched British player Harriet Dart take on American Christina McHale. Kate and her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, enjoyed their first girls' day out at Wimbledon in 2018 and again last year, with the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Middleton. On both occasions, they watched Meghan's best friend Serena Williams from the Royal Box on Centre Court.
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