Kate Middleton Has a Sweet Surprise for This Tennis Star — Her Kids Get Involved Too
Kate Middleton arrived at Wimbledon on Sunday with a beautiful present for a rising tennis sensation's birthday.
For the longest time, Kate Middleton has firmly held on to the position of being one of the favorite royals. And the reputation hasn’t simply come from her impeccable fashion sense or her status as a senior working royal. Her charm and warmth when greeting and talking to people during public engagements, walkabouts, and events have drawn global attention. The Princess of Wales displayed that once again when she arrived at Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Final on Sunday, armed with a sweet surprise for British tennis star Arthur Fery, who was celebrating his 24th birthday.
Although Fery had crashed out of the semi-finals in straight sets against Alexander Zverev, for two long weeks, he had raised the spirits of British fans across the world. He was present at Wimbledon on Sunday to meet the royals. In a video shared by a fan on social media, Middleton can be seen greeting Fery before handing him a big card, saying, “This is for you. Happy Birthday!” He thanked her as she introduced her two kids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, to the athlete, who shook hands with them. Watch the video here!
As an avid tennis fan, the Princess of Wales spoke with him about his experience playing in a Grand Slam. “Great that you got the chance to play on the show course and everything,” she was heard saying. “I believe for the first time. It's really special,” he answered. Middleton further asked him about “pressure,” and he admitted he was a “little nervous,” but once he was out there, “it was fine”.
It is no secret that the Wales kids participate in various sports. Picking up on that, Fery asked Middleton, “I hear your children play tennis a lot” to which she replied that they did “play a little bit” before checking with George and Charlotte, “You enjoy it, don't you?” Charlotte smiled, nodding in agreement. The tennis player then offered the siblings, “Do you guys want to hit some balls anytime soon?” Middleton thanked him for the generous proposal.
Fery was the first British wildcard to reach the singles’ semi-final at Wimbledon in the open era. Over the course of the fortnight, he saw many royals coming to the stadium to watch his games. The first of the lot was, of course, the Princess of Wales. She attended his Round 2 game against Otto Virtanen on Court 18 two weeks back, along with Tim Henman. Queen Camilla was present during his quarter-final match against Flavio Cobolli, and was spotted heartily applauding for the British star.
Although the Princess of Wales had previously watched his game at Wimbledon, Fery hadn’t actually met her. After his interaction with the royal on Sunday, he told the BBC that it was “good to meet her finally”. And as for whether George and Charlotte taking up his offer, he replied, “Let's see, I don't know. Let's see if I get the call up.”
