kate middleton shaking ball boy hand© Getty Images

Princess Kate confuses fans during Wimbledon meet and greet: 'Is that normal?'

The Prince of Wales greeted ball boys and girls when she attended the Wimbledon final with Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte

Homes Editor
July 17, 2023

Princess Kate, 41, watched Carlos Alcaraz become the new Wimbledon champion, beating Novak Djokovic on Sunday when she attended the prestigious event alongside her husband Prince William and children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

As well as presenting the new champ with his trophy, the royal greeted ball boys and girls on the court, but her actions left fans rather baffled.

"Why did Kate Middleton aka the Princess of Wales just completely skip the first kid in the handshake line? Is that normal? #Wimbledon," enquired one user on Twitter, sharing the clip where Kate seemingly missed the first ball boy in the line.

WATCH: See the Princess Kate Wimbledon moment that caused a stir online

The post blew up with over 300,000 views and many replies. "I noticed that it wasn’t a good look," said one, and: "Something we noticed, quite remarkable," added another.

In her defence, one user wrote: "Yes to save time. They only shake a few hands. She didn’t shake hands with the other side either," and another added: "I actually think he was [probably] in a blind spot, if [you] look closer she walks out and is prob just concentrating thinking the ball boys start at the green carpet I think she looks a tad nervous, and has maybe just headed for the 1st one she sees as she is walking out." A third simply remarked: "She'd spoken to him earlier."

© Getty

The family enjoyed a sporting day out

Last week, it was Queen Camilla's Wimbledon handshake that formed a talking point online.

The 75-year-old royal met another batch of ball girls during her own visit, and the way she greeted them didn't go unnoticed.

© Charlotte Wilson/Offside

Kate also presented Female champion Marketa the winners trophy on Saturday

A photo was shared online by The Royal Family Instagram account, and Her Majesty appeared to give a rather limp handshake.

© Getty

Queen Camilla meet ball boy Sean and ball girls Larissa, and Cassie

"Lol she can't give a right handshake," noted one, and: "She's always trying not to shake hands [of] the people," another user claimed. 

Princess Anne avoids this problem altogether, by simply not shaking the hands of the public.  Defending her decision, The Princess Royal spoke out in an ITV documentary, Queen of the World, which aired in 2018. The late monarch's daughter explained how the rules have changed. "I mean we never shook hands," she said. "The theory was that you couldn't shake hands with everybody, so don't start. So I kind of stick with that, but I notice others don't."

Why wasn't Prince Louis at Wimbledon?

While George and Charlotte got the special invite to join their parents courtside for the historic moment, Prince Louis stayed at home. It is believed he was deemed too young to make it out for the event – which lasted many hours. However, the Princess did reveal that her son was "very upset" at missing out on the sporting occasion.

SEE: Prince George and Princess Charlotte mirror Princess Kate's priceless Wimbledon expressions

© getty

Prince Louis didn't get a Wimbledon invite

In a chat with Ella Ottaway, who runs the All England Club's young people programme, Princess Kate said: "It’s Charlotte's first time, George came last year," adding: "They've been eagerly watching."

She also said that her daughter was still "getting to grips with the scoring".

© Getty

Princess Kate has admitted Princess Charlotte is still brushing up on the rules

Kate went on to say that five-year-old Louis was "very upset he wasn't coming today", and also told 16-year-old ball boy Joel that her youngest child had been practising his own ball boy skills. 

NEXT: 12 of Princess Kate's funniest and most relatable reactions at Wimbledon 

Following his conversation with the princess, Joel told the PA news agency: "He (Louis) tries to practise standing and staying serious like us." How cute! 

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