By Harry Brent Tom Sunderland
Wimbledon is known for its strict entry protocols, and the Royal Box on Centre Court has even tighter regulations.
Even high-profile figures like Meghan Markle, Lewis Hamilton and Pippa Middleton (now Pippa Matthews) have been turned away for not adhering to the stringent rules. Hamilton learned about Wimbledon’s strict dress code in 2015 when he was invited to the men’s singles final in the Royal Box.
Unfortunately, he missed the match between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer because he didn’t comply with the dress code. Gentlemen in the Royal Box must wear a tie, a rule that Hamilton overlooked. The Formula 1 superstar also arrived unfashionably late and was subsequently denied entry.
A source familiar with the incident claimed: “Lewis turned up an hour late and wasn’t wearing a tie. He was told he would need to put one on to enter the box but he threw a bit of hissy fit, which lasted a couple of minutes, and then left. There is a strict dress code, and the staff manning the box had no choice. He was asked not to enter the box.”
Hamilton, 40, had clinched his first F1 world championship about six months before the misunderstanding. Despite being named BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2014, it didn’t grant him any special privileges when it came to Royal protocol.
Middleton – the younger sister of Kate, the Princess of Wales – and her mum Carole also fell foul of the rules due to tardiness. They arrived late and were denied access to sit with their family in the box.
This just goes to show how seriously Wimbledon staff take these matters, with even two extended members of the Royal Family unable secure a seat after failing to meet the requirements. That said, Pippa and Carole were allowed to occupy two standard Centre Court seats instead.
They’re not the only Royals ones who’ve experienced this. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, also ruffled feathers in the Box in 2019.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Prince Harry’s wife wasn’t sitting with the other Royals, as she usually would be. The Times reported that this was because she was wearing denim jeans, which is considered a faux pas in Wimbledon members’ areas.
The same report suggested that the LA-born Royal upset organisers by leaving after Serena Williams had played her match. Andy Murray’s match was still to come at the time, and it’s considered bad manners for Royal Box attendees to miss any British players in action.
“She wanted to come incognito but there were problems,” an All England Club source revealed to The Times. “They couldn’t invite her into the royal box because she was wearing jeans but that didn’t really matter because all she wanted to do was come and watch Serena.
“Andy Murray was on Court 1 afterwards and it was a massive faux pas not to watch a Brit when she is signed up to the royal family.”
Former tennis world No. 1 Ilie Nastase also found himself barred from the Royal Box in 2017 due to comments he made at the Fed Cup that year. The Romanian landed in hot water after making sexist remarks about British duo Anne Keothavong and Johanna Konta, referring to them as “f*****g b*****s”. As a result, he faced a three-year ban from the competitions.
It’s somewhat satisfying to know that even famous faces are held to the same standards as the rest of us. But then again, not all of us have the privilege of being invited to mingle with royalty at one of the greatest spectacles in sport.