Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ditch Royal Box to support Cameron Norrie at Wimbledon

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge abandoned the Royal Box at Wimbledon to show their support for Britain’s star player Cameron Norrie on Court 1. 

The last remaining British singles player in The Championships was snubbed from Centre Court on Tuesday due to the All England Club’s policy of equal representation on the main courts.

Earlier in the day, the Duchess had taken her customary seat in the Royal Box after blowing a kiss to her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, who were also in attendance.

The Royal couple made their return to Wimbledon on Tuesday afternoon to watch the first day of the quarter-finals at SW19.

The Duchess, 40, waved as she crossed the bridge from the millennium building into Centre Court after arriving with Prince William via the players’ entrance.

She has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club since taking over the role from the Queen in 2016, and is well-known to have a genuine passion for tennis.

On arrival, the Duke and Duchess headed straight to the Royal Box on Centre Court to watch World No 3 Novak Djokovic beat Italian player Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles quarter-final.

The Duchess was dressed in an Alessandra Rich blue polka dot dress and sported a Wimbledon ribbon, while Prince William wore a pale grey checked jacket and navy trousers.

Before the Royal couple took their seats in the box, they exchanged a few words with the comedian and actor David Walliams.

At one point in the match, she smiled at Prince William after a particularly tense rally between the players.

The Duchess is often joined in the Royal Box by her sister, Pippa Middleton, who is a keen tennis player.

Over the years the Duchess has been a permanent fixture in the Royal Box at the Championships, having famously watched nearly every match of Andy Murray’s run to the Wimbledon final in 2012.

There will be no opportunity for her to watch Murray this year, however, after he suffered the earliest defeat of his career at the All England Club last week while playing big-serving American John Isner.

The Duke and Duchess sat among the crowded stands on Court 1 for the last two sets of Norrie’s match against Belgian player David Goffin.

The British hopeful was loudly cheered on and applauded by an animated crowd.