Roger Federer violated royal decorum, causing Duchess Kate to make an unfortunate gaffe at Wimbledon.
Although the tennis legend is a personal acquaintance of the Princess of Wales, the brunette beauty seemed to have an awkward meeting with him in the Royal Box at Wimbledon after breaching Royal tradition. The sportsman made an unexpected appearance at the annual tennis event yesterday (July 4) and was asked to sit in the Royal Box to witness Elena Rybakina play with Shelby Rogers on the centre court. When he entered the box, however, he broke a major component of Royal tradition by touching Princess Kate on the back while saying hello. He also leaned in as if he were hugging her. His friendly gesture might not be surprising because he was close with Princess Kate’s sister Pippa and he was also Prince George’s previous tennis coach. The 41-year-old royal awkwardly stepped aside and made it apparent without saying anything that this was not proper, although they did appear paler throughout the match despite the unusual moment. According to royal custom, he should have just done a “neck bow” or shake her hand. The guidelines indicated that there are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms. It was expected for men to do a neck bow (only from the head), while women do a small curtsy. Others like to shake hands in the traditional manner. Regardless of the error, they appeared to be laughing. Aside from the royal behaviour, it is noted to use the customary ‘Your Royal Highness,’ followed by ‘Ma’am.’” for other female members of the Royal Family. Despite the awkwardness, the pair watched a good tennis match, in which Rybakina won 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to go to the second round alongside Roger Federer’s wife Mirka. The Russian-born athlete representing Kazakhstan is widely expected to win the championship, despite being the tournament’s third-ranked participant.