For countless tennis enthusiasts, Sir Andy Murray is Wimbledon royalty in his own right. Yet the two-time champion recently found himself mixing with the genuine article after spending an afternoon beside the Princess of Wales during this year’s Championships.
The former world No. 1 has revealed the surprising connection he formed with Kate, who is a regular presence at SW19 owing to her position as patron of the All England Club. According to Murray, the duo swiftly found themselves exchanging parenting anecdotes as they sat together on Court One to watch Britain’s Katie Swan face Madison Keys in the second round.
The Princess shares three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – with the Prince of Wales, while Murray and his wife Kim are parents to four children: Sophia, Edie, Teddy and Lola. Speaking to Good Housekeeping, the Scot described their afternoon together as “great” but acknowledged the discussion rapidly shifted away from tennis.
“We’ve obviously both got quite a few kids, so there was a lot to chat about with that,” he said. “I’ve spent a little bit of time with her before. “I know she obviously loves her sport, loves her tennis and has come along to Wimbledon a lot of times. I was asked to go and watch one of the matches with her the other day and it was good fun.”
Former British No.1 Anne Keothavong, seated alongside the pair on Court One, echoed those sentiments. “[Kate] didn’t stop chatting, it was brilliant,” the 42-year-old told reporters.
Andy was there as well and we all have kids [of a] similar age, so a lot of the chat revolved around that, and tennis, and encouraging young kids to play and the challenges that we face as parents. It was really fun. She was really interested in the tennis and really easy to talk to.
Their exchange also offered Murray a rare insight into life at the very heart of the Royal Family, with Kate speaking openly about the sporting pursuits of George, Charlotte and Louis. “I got the feeling that they’re quite sporty,” said Murray, who was knighted in 2017 for services to tennis and charity.
“They’ve been to watch [tennis] before. I think they play a little bit, [and] a little bit of padel,” he added, referring to the rapidly growing racket sport that blends elements of tennis and squash. Murray himself has become an enthusiastic padel player as he seeks to remain active following his retirement from professional tennis in 2024.
“When I play golf with my friends or padel, I’m still very competitive. I don’t play that much tennis anymore,” he said. He also disclosed that his own children are equally sporty, adding: “They play football and hockey and netball, so I just mix in with all the things that they’re doing and try and stay active that way.
