WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—A year after the Queen made a rare visit to the All England Club, Prince William and his new wife Kate were among the crowd at Wimbledon on Monday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were married on April 29, entered the grounds at 12:30 p.m. and received a warm ovation from the crowd as they took their seats in the front row of the Royal Box about 25 minutes later, just in time to see Andy Murray take on Richard Gasquet of France on Centre Court.
Queen Elizabeth II came to Wimbledon last year for her first visit in 33 years.
Security was noticeably tighter at the All England Club, and a police helicopter circled the grounds during the Royals’ visit.
In keeping with Wimbledon’s all-white dress theme, Kate wore an off-white, knee-length dress with tiered layers and embroidered straps. William wore a blue suit on a warm day in London, with temperatures expected to be about 30 degrees C (86 degrees F).
There seemed to be a royal theme at Wimbledon on Monday. Six-time Wimbledon champion Billie Jean King was sitting behind Prince William and Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, was also on the invitation list.
St. James’s Palace said Kate is a tennis fan and has been to Wimbledon “quite a number of times.” William visited Wimbledon several times as a child with his mother, Princess Diana.
A letter sent by Kate to the All England Club to offer her thanks for a visit to the tournament in 2008 was put on display in the Wimbledon museum this year.
William and Kate will begin their first overseas state visit as a married couple in Ottawa, Canada, on Thursday.