Special meaning behind Kate Middleton’s Wimbledon bow revealed

The Princess of Wales made a triumphant return to Wimbledon yesterday – and eagle-eyed fans may have spotted the royal sporting her favourite green-and-purple bow for the occasion. 

The royal, 42, became patron of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club, also known as the AELTC (which organises the day-to-day running of Wimbledon), since 2016.

Since 2017, the mother-of-three has donned the elegant brooch – which features the tournament’s iconic colours – every time she has visited Wimbledon.

Yesterday, the Princess opted for a stunning £1295 lavender dress from Safiyaa London on her second public engagement since announcing that she is receiving treatment for cancer. 

Kate debuted her green-and-purple bow back in 2017 – when she paired it with a white short-sleeved dress.

The future Queen has since worn it for her annual appearances at the grand slam event since then.

Last year, the Princess of Wales donned the prestigious accessory on the last day of the competition with her elegant emerald green frock by Roland Mouret.

In 2022 she pinned it to her chest alongside her Alessandra Rich navy dress polka dot dress and also to her bright yellow Roksanda gown. 

More than just a mere accessory, the Princess’ go-to Wimbledon brooch is actually a symbol of royal patronage, gifted to her from the Queen Elizabeth II. 

Kate took over the role of patron in 2016 from the late Queen who had held the position for 64 years. 

The accessory is worn by members of the Committee of Management during the Fortnight – the Main Board of the AELTC and representatives of the LTA. It signifies their responsibilities as the Committee governing the tournament.

The Patron has always traditionally been given a Committee bow in recognition of her role, which is why the Duchess has chosen to wear it when visiting The Championships.

Other individuals also given an honorary Committee bow are the Chief Executive.

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The present colours of dark green and purple were introduced in 1909 as the club’s previous colours, blue, yellow, red and green, were too similar to those of the Royal Marines.

The Patron has always traditionally been given a Committee bow in recognition of her role, which is why the Duchess has chosen to wear it when visiting The Championships.

Other individuals also given an honorary Committee bow are the Chief Executive.

Kate and Charlotte, nine, and her mother, the Princess of Wales, 42, arrived to take their seats at the Royal Box on the Centre Court, the pair were met with a standing ovation and applause.

The duo and Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, saw the reigning champion, Carlos Alcaraz take on veteran Novak Djokovic, winning in three sets. 

Kate and Charlotte, nine, spoke to the tennis player Alcaraz off the court and revealed she had been watching his performance at home.

The mother-of-three, who has stepped away from public royal duties while undergoing cancer treatment, said: ‘This is Charlotte, [she was] cheering you on. You had everything crossed.

Alcaraz, who was dressed in all-white and holding his trophy, replied: ‘Nice to meet you.’ 

Kate then said: ‘We’ve watched a lot on telly, so it’s great to finally get to meet you,’ before repeating herself as the athlete was struggling to hear her. 

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A star-struck Charlotte looked slightly shy as she stood next to Kate and smiled at Alcaraz during their conversation, as her aunt Pippa stood behind the pair and grinned at the interaction.  

Before passing the trophy to Alcaraz earlier on, Kate commiserated and shook the hand of runner-up Novak Djokovic.

Dressed in a £1295 bespoke dress from Safiyaa, the royal was greeted with a standing ovation as she headed into the Royal Box at Wimbledon earlier in the day.

Before the mother-daughter duo took their seats in the Royal Box, they met with female tennis stars, including 21-year-old Emma Radacanu, who all presented Kate with a bouquet of flowers

Charlotte grinned from ear to ear as she met with the tennis star, who sadly saw her Wimbledon dream crushed on Centre Court by New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun last week.

Kate and Charlotte were also greeted by Sonay Kartal, Lily Miyazaki, Lucy Shuker and Flora Johnson as they arrived on the players’ lawn at Wimbledon before entering Centre Court.

Charlotte gave wheelchair tennis player Shuker a ‘pinky promise’ that she would try the sport alongside her mother.

Kate was also introduced to Raducanu, who was knocked out in the fourth round of this year’s championships, telling her: ‘It was so hard to see you go out.’

US Open winner Raducanu said it was ‘amazing’ to have the support of the princess and ‘see her here looking so healthy and happy’.

The daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who sported a £70 Polka Dot dress from Guess, was thrilled to meet the tennis star, and was photographed smiling ear to ear in her presence.

The mother and daughter then met the ‘Work at Wimbledon’ programme which supports young people from a range of backgrounds with roles at the Championships.

Alcaraz now has four Grand Slam trophies with a perfect record in major finals, after his two Wimbledon triumphs, his U.S. Open victory in 2022 and his French Open win last month. Defeat denied Djokovic a 25th Grand Slam title to surpass Margaret Court in the all-time list and also equal Roger Federer’s haul of eight men’s singles titles at Wimbledon.