Where might you find Jeff Bezos, David Attenborough, the Princess of Wales, Kylie Minogue, Prince Albert of Monaco, Pep Guardiola, Bear Grylls, David Beckham, Samuel L Jackson, David Cameron, British daytime TV personality Mr Motivator, Sachin Tendulkar, Richard Branson, Alex Ferguson, assorted minor and not so minor members of the Royal Family, scientists, directors of the National Health Service, art historians, captains of industry, professors, doctors and James Bond?
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It’s a ticket you can’t buy, an invite you can ask for but might not get, and if you aren’t wearing the right shoes then you won’t get in. On the upside, you get the best view in the house for the most famous tennis tournament in the world. Plus lunch.
The Royal Box at Wimbledon is an unending source of fascination for people ostensibly tuning in to watch some top-class sport.
A clutch of around 80 very comfortable and well-upholstered seats overlook Centre Court, which at one time was primarily used for the purpose its name suggests, to host royalty. Now it’s the place for the great and the good to be seen. And to see a bit of tennis.
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The Royal Box has been at the south end of Centre Court since 1922 and according to the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) “is used for the entertainment of”, among others, “the Royal Family, the tennis world, individuals of distinction and others who in various ways contribute to the betterment of our lives and society”. It was rebuilt in 2002 when the whole infrastructure of Centre Court was refurbished, which included a refresh of the ‘Clubhouse’, the place where guests gather when not watching the sport.
Sounds good. Fancy going? Well, good luck.
The invitation process is quite nebulous. There are no particular criteria and it’s essentially all decided by whoever is chair of the AELTC at the time, which has been Debbie Jevans since 2023.
Across the first six days, Jevans has focused on various topics. Day four was ‘green matters’ — Bear Grylls, Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins, for his Green Sport award, not his cap, and actor Niamh Cusack. On day three, Sir John Timpson preceded his appointment to Keir Starmer’s new government by watching some tennis, joined by Theresa May 24 hours before a very bad day for the Conservatives. For day one and day two, the call sheet included Sir David Attenborough; mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins; former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl; and Olga Morozova, a Wimbledon finalist in 1974.
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Under previous incumbent Ian Hewitt, there was a leaning away from a ‘celebrity’ focus, towards those who have done ‘good deeds’ for society.
The most prominent recent example of that was in 2021, the year after the Championships were postponed due to the pandemic, when Dame Sarah Gilbert was in the front row. Gilbert was one of the scientists responsible for developing the Covid-19 vaccine and was given a lengthy standing ovation when she was introduced to the crowd.
People who have recently been awarded honours for public service are frequently invited. Professor Irene Tracey, recipient of a CBE in 2022 for services to medical research, was there on the first Wednesday of 2023. The opening Monday saw Dame Ruth Beverley, awarded her title for services to higher education, in attendance.
It was a far cry from the tenure of one former chair, who many felt was fond of inviting a succession of handsome, eligible young bachelors, who would then be introduced to his daughters.
On the Tuesday of last year’s tournament, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who spent six years in jail in Iran on erroneous charges of espionage, was present to watch Andy Murray’s first game of the tournament, accompanied by the lawyer who represented her while she was imprisoned. That was particularly poignant given her conversation with Murray, when she guest-edited the BBC Radio 4 programme Today, when she said that one of the few moments of joy and hope she had while in prison was when she briefly had a TV and was able to watch him win the tournament in 2016.
Something that was slightly misunderstood in the post-match interviews was the idea that Murray himself had invited Zaghari-Ratcliffe into the Royal Box. Which is sort of true: Murray, after the BBC discussion, was keen to invite her along to the Championships, but it was the organisers that upgraded her. They were keen to clarify that no individual can invite guests (not even Murray) and that it has to go through official channels.
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There is always a famous face or two in there for the cameras to find — this is a marketing exercise, after all. Pierce Brosnan, Anna Wintour, Russell Wilson, Sam Mendes, Eddie Redmayne, Sienna Miller, Jude Law, Ian McKellen, Maggie Smith, Michael McIntyre: we could be here all day running through the stars that have attended down the years.
Royals are the big prize. The Princess of Wales is there most years (she’s a patron of the AELTC) but is yet to appear at this year’s Championships, after being diagnosed with cancer earlier in 2024. That’s in addition to the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent. The late Queen Elizabeth II used to be the tournament’s patron but, as far as anyone can remember, only actually attended twice.
Newspaper editors are often invited, presumably to curry a little favour and encourage publicity. Geordie Greig — editor of the UK’s Independent — was there in 2023; George Osborne attended in his role as editor of the Evening Standard in 2019. John Witherow, former editor of The Times of London, has been a regular.
The middle Saturday is often the ‘big sports stars’ day, when a wide range of athletes are sprinkled across the box. They’re usually introduced to the crowd in a vaguely toe-curling ceremony where they’re asked to stand and wave, almost always looking sensationally awkward. In 2023, the England women’s football team took centre stage, 12 months on from winning the European Championship.
For 2024, Jevans invited guests from across the world of sport. Australian Mark Philippoussis, Roger Federer’s first Wimbledon title victim in 2003, and Spaniard Conchita Martinez, who won the Wimbledon women’s singles in 1994. They were joined by the likes of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola; England women’s football captain Leah Williamson; Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar; Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis; and England test cricket captain Ben Stokes.
Other sports stars are routine attendees. In addition to Beckham, other big names from the world of football to attend in recent years include Gareth Southgate (busy this year), Jordan Henderson, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Charlton, and Alex Ferguson. The golfer Luke Donald was there last year, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els have been, too. Sergio Garcia even turned up in his green Masters jacket after winning at Augusta in 2017. British Olympians like David Haye, Chris Hoy, Kelly Holmes, Nicola Adams and Jessica Ennis-Hill have been among the invitees.
You get drinks on arrival, served on the balcony behind Centre Court, which overlooks some of the smaller courts. If you’ve ever seen a Wimbledon champion display their trophy to the fans waiting below, that’s the balcony we mean. Lunch and more drinks follow, although guests are lightly encouraged not to get stuck into the booze too much. Lunch tends to be pretty high-end stuff — lobster, salmon, that sort of vibe — and then afternoon tea is served later on.
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Obviously strawberries and cream, too, but not the strawberries the masses overpay for. These are a special, luxury variety called Driscoll Jubilee, according to The New York Times.
Other perks include a small gift — last year it was chocolate with the Wimbledon logo on and an environmentally friendly water bottle — and a commemorative photo. They even adjust the retractable Centre Court roof to keep the sun out of attendees’ eyes.
Getting an invite isn’t easy. Agents and PR representatives will frequently lobby to get their clients a prominent seat, which also leaves the organisers open to the occasional hoax, sort of like a turbo-charged version of trying to get a table at an exclusive restaurant under the name “Tom Cruise”. They’re alive to this sort of thing though: a few years ago a request was made in the name of a Hollywood star, but the organisers noted that the person in question was filming on another continent at the time, so the ruse was exposed.
You don’t really have to have expressed any serious interest in tennis to get an invite. You essentially just have to have caught the eye of the organising committee in some way, then one day an invite appears on your doormat.
The invitation reads: ‘The Chairman and Committee of Management of The Championships request the pleasure of the company of [insert name] & Guest in the Royal Box on [insert date].
‘This invitation to the Royal Box includes lunch in the Clubhouse prior to the commencement of play, afternoon tea and drinks at the end of the day.’
Often the invite list is peppered with those who have personal connections to the AELTC. Spouses of committee members are there most days. You get a plus-one, who are all detailed on the list that Wimbledon circulates to the media at the start of every day, which has ‘NOT TO BE PUBLISHED’ included prominently in the top right corner. The plus-ones are usually spouses or partners, but not always. Beckham usually brings his mum. As an aside, Beckham is credited on the media list as ‘former professional footballer, president and co-owner, Inter Miami CF’.
There’s a pretty strict dress code. Gentlemen are asked to wear a lounge suit/blazer and tie and it’s “afternoon dress” (nothing above the knee) or elegant trouser suit for ladies. Women are also asked not to wear hats, lest they obscure the view of those behind them. Lewis Hamilton fell foul of the clothing rules in 2015 when he was denied entry to the Royal Box after showing up without a jacket and tie, thus missing the men’s final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
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“If he was not adequately dressed, you could infer that he would not have been let in,” sniffed a Wimbledon spokesperson at the time. “But we do not comment on our guests. If he came without a jacket, tie or shoes, he would have had two choices – not staying, or going to get some extra stuff.”
Alan Chalmers, who had handled Centre Court VIP security for nearly 40 years and was retiring after the tournament, didn’t hold back. “Wimbledon is not a beach in Marbella, it’s a major tennis tournament,” he said a few days later.
Get there on time, too. One year Pippa Middleton faced the awful shame of having to sit in a normal seat, in with ‘the public’, after showing up late.
Not everyone is welcome. Ilie Nastase, the Romanian two-time Grand Slam winner, was banned in 2017 after making racist comments about Serena Williams’s then-unborn child and hasn’t been invited back. You’re unlikely to see Boris Becker there either after his legal issues in recent years. When asked if either man — or anyone else for that matter — was on a permanent blacklist, the AELTC declined to comment.
But if you are lucky enough to be invited into the inner sanctum, it’s a day to remember.
Just remember your nice shoes.
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
