King Charles ditches 100-year-old Tennis rule put in place by his great-grandfather
The royals are huge fans of the tennisKing Charles has opted to get rid of a rule put in place by his great-grandfather, King George V.
Wimbledon is known for enforcing an all-white dress code for players. However, King Charles is ensuring that the tennis court at Buckingham Palace is moving away from this rule…
New rules at the Buckingham Palace tennis court
Built in 1919, the Buckingham Palace tennis court has hosted a number of famous faces over the years. This began back in the 1930s with regular matches between King George VI and tennis legend Fred Perry.
In 2000, Björn Borg and John McEnroe relived their Wimbledon finals with a charity match on the court.
Tennis is known for having some stricter rules of propriety than other sports.
Wimbledon, which has been running since 1877, has a rule that requires all players to play in all-white. This is because back in Victorian times, sweat was considered unseemly. Coloured clothing would show sweat more than white clothing, hence the all-white rule was introduced.
The all-white rule has been relaxed slightly recently, allowing female players to wear dark coloured undershorts.
According to Town & Country, King Charles is going a bit further, allowing players to wear any colours on the court going forward. As the publication says, “it’s one less thing for players to stress over”.
Royal Insider has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Kate Middleton’s love of tennis
The royal family has a long-running fondness of tennis.
At present, Kate Middleton is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which carries out the day-to-day operations of The Championships. This is a role that she has held since 2016.
In her role, she regularly attends the final and gives the winner the trophy.
She has previously gushed over her love for tennis during a 2017 BBC documentary.
“I have watched Wimbledon, which was very much part of my growing up. It’s such a quintessential part of the English summer, and I think it really inspires youngsters, myself,” she said.
“It inspired me when I was younger to get involved in the game. It hasn’t changed either, I think that’s what’s so wonderful,” she then added.
Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson at the tennis
Kate isn’t the only royal who enjoys watching the tennis.
Last week, Princess Beatrice and her mother, Sarah Ferguson, were in attendance on the first day of the tournament last week.
It marked the first time Sarah had been in the royal box in more than 20 years.
The last time Prince Andrew’s ex-wife was in the royal box was back in 2001.
She was also a regular attendee of the tournament alongside the late Princess Diana back in the 1980s.
Also in attendance were celebs like David Beckham, Eddie Redmayne, and Richard Osman. Also present was Lady Gabriella Kingston, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and King Charles’ second cousin.
Read more: Princess Anne is unrecognisable in rare photo with long hair at Wimbledon
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