The tennis season is in full swing! In the wake of The Queen's Club Championships, SW19 fans rejoiced earlier this week when the prestigious tournament Wimbledon returned to our screens in all its green and purple glory.
World-class tennis, strawberries and suncream aside, the sporting event is renowned for its royal guestlist, with the late Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Camilla and Princess Kate all making regular appearances over the years.
Royal attendees and a handful of lucky guests, arguably have the best seats in the house thanks to the coveted Royal Box which sits at the south end of Centre Court.
According to the official Wimbledon website, the Royal Box is used for friends and guests of Wimbledon, which includes "British and overseas royal families, heads of government, people from the world of tennis, commercial partners, British Armed Forces, prominent media organisations, supporters of tennis and other walks of life".
Ahead of the sporting action, we spoke to jazz singer Natalie Rushdie who was fortunate enough to nab a seat in the Royal Box alongside her husband Zafar in 2023. Keep scrolling to discover what it's really like to mingle with royalty…
Brushing shoulders with royalty
Royal Box guests are invited to a sit-down lunch before the tennis kicks off. When Natalie, 37, attended last year, she was in the company of Princess Catherine, legendary Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, and Prince Michael of Kent - a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Describing the moment Kate and Roger entered the dining room, Natalie shared: "Roger Federer and Princess Catherine came in last, and the whole room went silent when she came in. She's just so beautiful in real life… Calm, just so refined. She came in, she said hello to everyone."
Natalie also had the chance to chat with Kate during which time she thanked the Prince and Princess of Wales for their continued support in the wake of her charity song in honour of the late Dame Deborah James.
Recalling their exchange, Natalie told us: "I went up to her. I was so nervous. I'm never nervous meeting anyone, but she's really so beautiful in real life. I went over to her, and I just thanked her and William for her support. We spoke about the single, and she asked how it was going and how it came about."
Gushing about the mother-of-three's regal charm, she went on to say: "There's very much star quality about her. There's a sparkle when she enters the room. Everyone genuinely is in awe of her. She's incredibly beautiful and refined… I don't know what I expected… but it was even more so in real life."
Natalie added: "She's so kind, takes the time to speak to everyone, and very much makes everyone feel at ease."
Musing on her afternoon tea with Prince Michael of Kent, Natalie divulged: "The afternoon tea is on the balcony. We were very lucky that Prince Michael of Kent invited us to join him on his table with Lady Gabriella and her late husband, Thomas Kingston, as we are friends.
"We had a wonderful time, and we had a wonderful afternoon. It was his birthday on that day so we had coffee cakes to celebrate his birthday. It was lovely and very relaxed. The Prince was telling me about different music events he'd been to as a child and as a teenager, which was very funny… You become like Cinderella. It all stops, and then you're just a normal person."
Hollywood treatment
The Wimbledon Royal Box experience is often shrouded in mystery… Attendees are restricted from taking certain photos and not much is known about the structure of the day.
"You go for a separate entrance. You go underneath into a car park, and you drive into Wimbledon, and the grounds are massive," Natalie revealed. "And so you drive in these and then you drive to basically a lift, and then you come up on this lift, and it comes out in the Royal Box, and it's absolutely beautiful."
In terms of the structure of the day, Royal Box guests are treated to the below:
- Welcome drinks and coffee are served on the balcony before the tennis action kicks off
- An opportunity to take photos in the Royal Box before others arrive
- Lunch is served
- Afternoon tea is served on the balcony
- Back to the Royal Box for more tennis action
Food & Drink
Upon arrival, guests are served "special Wimbledon chocolates" with their coffee. Lunch is a delicious spread teeming with an array of hot and cold dishes including the likes of Halibut, Galloway beef, asparagus and soft poached egg tart and Cornish lobster tail.
Meanwhile, pudding is a British affair with strawberries and cream taking pride of place on the menu. Peach crémeux and a selection of cheeses also feature.
Wimbledon keepsakes
Aside from the Wimbledon chocolates, Royal Box guests are treated to a special photograph which is taken during the first three sets.
Sharing a glimpse inside this tradition, Natalie told us: "You're told basically that you're going to be photographed in the first three sets which you get to take away with you. I don't remember getting a goodie bag, but you get a special photograph and the programme."