The Princess of Wales broke with tradition on Thursday, choosing to watch Wimbledon from the outside courts rather than the royal box — but her arrival on another hot day in SW19 came as tennis’s civil war over prize money intensified behind the scenes.
Dressed in a blue linen suit, the 44‑year‑old wife of heir to the throne Prince William was cheered as she passed Henman Hill before taking her seat on Court 18 beside former semi‑finalist Tim Henman to watch Briton Arthur Fery play his second‑round match against Finn Otto Virtanen. Later, she moved to Court One alongside former world number one Sir Andy Murray to watch Briton Katie Swan face Madison Keys of the US.
“Kate breaks tradition to watch matches from outer courts as ATP proposals to cut doubles prize money spark player fury.”
Singer‑songwriter Ellie Goulding and Sir Cliff Richard were among the stars in attendance as temperatures reached 26C in London. Kate, patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, earlier greeted fans in the queue, some of whom had queued since 4am. She asked two children if they were big tennis fans, smiled for photos, and spoke to honorary stewards. One attendee congratulated her on her recent Three Peaks challenge.
But away from the courts, the tournament was also the backdrop for a deepening dispute over prize money. On Thursday, the i newspaper reported that the ATP Tour had pitched proposals to the player council earlier this week that would slash opportunities for doubles specialists by reducing draw sizes and halving the prize money pot for doubles events. The proposals are set to be enacted in 2028.
“Do the math on what that means for anyone outside the top 30: it will be impossible to make a living,” a statement on behalf of a large group of doubles players said. “Shrink doubles and you shrink the livelihoods of the coaches, physios and trainers who work alongside us, the national federations who develop doubles talent, the clubs who run doubles programmes, and the next generation of players who see a doubles career as a genuine, achievable path into the professional game. This is not a minor adjustment. It is a plan to end doubles as a viable profession, dressed up as a cost‑saving measure.”
Around 150 male players specialise in doubles on tour. One doubles player, who does not have enough years of contributions to claim an ATP pension, said: “Our livelihoods are on the line. If they do this, we’re unemployed as soon as it happens.”
The escalation follows a media boycott by the top 10 singles players at Wimbledon last week, protesting that their demands for 22 per cent of tournament revenues were not being met. The protest was called off after a meeting with Wimbledon organisers. While that action focused on grand slam prize money, the wider picture — as the i report noted — is that players feel they are not making their fair share of the money tennis generates, and they are getting organised.