There could be a new royal favourite in town following Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon stunning win today, as a seemingly starstruck Princess Charlotte met the new king of tennis.
Both Prince George and his younger sister punched the air in delight to celebrate Alcaraz’s maiden Wimbledon title in the nail-biting five-set epic against Novak Djokovic.
But it was Charlotte’s adorable clapping as she stared at the world number one in awe, nervously waiting to be introduced to him, that really stole the show. It was the young royal’s first time attending the All England Club tournament.
George, nine, and Charlotte, eight, had been on tenterhooks during the final that ultimately saw Alcaraz claim the winner’s trophy and £2.35million prize fund.
Their mother, the Princess of Wales, beamed as she congratulated the 20-year-old Spaniard and handed him his trophy – who emotionally held it up to the crowd who had backed him throughout the nearly five-hour long game.
In the adorable clip of Charlotte and George meeting Alcaraz, the Princess of Wales can also be heard saying ‘congratulations’ as she shakes the new champion’s hand.
But Louis, the youngest member of the family, was unhappy that he couldn’t join them despite practising being a ballboy this year.
Arriving at SW19 with her husband and two children, the Princess of Wales told Ella Ottaway, who runs the All England Club’s young people programme: ‘It’s Charlotte’s first time, George came last year. They’ve been eagerly watching.
‘Charlotte, you’ve been getting to grips with the scoring. Louis was very upset he wasn’t coming today.’
The world number one said it was a ‘dream come true’ to win Wimbledon and ‘make history in this beautiful tournament’.
Earlier in the day, Princess Charlotte donned a cool pair of pink £21 sunglasses while sat with her brother and parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and beamed as she marvelled at well-fought points.
But at times, the Princess sunk into her chair and looked as though she couldn’t bear to watch the match.
Meanwhile Prince George looked both elated and gutted as he watched the action on Centre Court – at times, with his head in his hands.
Princess Charlotte also wore a £169 dress from Spanish brand Friki to the final.
As the young Princess arrived at the All England Club for her first ever Wimbledon match, she appeared to be having a whale of a time.
The young royal looked adorable in her floral frock as she watched the drama on Centre Court with her family.
Princess Kate, 41, looked effortlessly elegant in an emerald frock from Roland Mouret, costing £750, as she arrived on the bridge at the All England Lawn, Tennis and Croquet Club in the bright sunshine.
As she walked into the Club, she watched over Prince George, nine and Princess Charlotte, eight, who had joined her for the day, as their father Prince William, 41, followed behind.
Ahead of the gentlemen’s final between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, the family met with hard working ball boys and girls – and Princess Charlotte was even lucky enough to make a fuss of police dog Stella.
On her first ever visit to the Wimbledon Championships Charlotte also chatted to Mu’awwiz Anwar, who is performing the coin toss ahead of the match.
The eight-year-old presented Mu’awwiz with the coin he will use to decide which finalist serves first in the final.
As the family arrived in the Royal Box on Centre Court, they were greeted by a round of applause ahead of the match.
Kate’s emerald outfit was accessorised with emerald teardrop earrings and the same bow she sported yesterday on her chest, in Wimbledon emerald and amethyst colours.
Meanwhile Princess Charlotte looked regal in her blue frock, while her brother Prince George was the image of his father in a navy suit and tie. William was equally smart in a light grey blazer.
However the Wales family appeared to be a little windswept as they walked across the bridge, with Kate’s and Charlotte’s thick brunette locks blowing in the breeze.
The Prince and Princess of Wales waved to royal fans below as they walked across the bridge to enter the Club.
The mother-of-three – who had already attended Wimbledon twice before during this season – looked eager to watch the final of the game she loved so much.
The princess – who has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club since 2016 -was there to watch the men’s final – a match of ‘old versus young’ and ‘legend versus successor’.
Novak Djokovic is playing Carlos Alcaraz – who is hoping to unseat the legend. Djokovic is a seven-time winner at Wimbledon and is chasing a record-equalling eighth.
But despite sometimes suffering from crippling nerves, such as in the French Open this year, Alcaraz has said: ‘It’s a final, no time to be afraid. I will go for it and let’s see what happens.’
Either way, it makes for an exciting match which Kate will no doubt enjoy.
All week, she has sported elegant outfits and been mesmerised by the sport she loves so much.
On Saturday, she wore a lime green Self Portrait dress costing £420 as she shook hands with ball boys and ball girls at the women’s single final.
She then looked enraptured by the tennis, before presenting an emotional Marketa Vondrousova, 24, with the winning trophy.
As the Princess arrived to watch Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur take on the Czech Republic’s Vondrousova to win the Venus Rosewater Dish, the keen sports fan beamed and waved to crowds below from the terrace.
Stakes were high for both players as left-handed Jabeur hoped to become the first African woman to win a Grand Slam, while Vondrousova made history as the first unseeded player to ever make the Wimbledon final in the Open era.
A year ago, number six in the world Jabeur became the first North African woman, the first Arab woman and the first Muslim woman to make a Grand Slam final.
Kate later comforted Jabeur before congratulating Vondrousova, who told her post-match interviewer she planned to celebrate with a beer and another tattoo.
As play got underway, the Princess was seen chatting to former tennis stars Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.
She then entertained throughout the match as she cheered, applauded and grinned as the unseeded Czech became the first-ever unseeded Grand Slam champion.
Earlier in the week, she looked elegant as she wore a smart pleated white skirt and mint £1,950 Balmain blazer.
She wore her hair in loose waves across her shoulders and opted for neutral makeup, with a sweep of eyeliner and a touch of blusher.
Meanwhile she kept her jewellery simple, with a pearl bracelet and £72 Chunky Knot Baroque Pearl Earrings by Shyla.
Kate’s choice of Balmain for her outfit marked the first time the royal has been seen in the French label. Celebrity fans of the fashion house include Cara Delevingne and Kim Kardashian.
During the outing, Kate put on a friendly display as she welcomed close pal Roger Federer to a special ceremony at Wimbledon.
She was among those enthusiastically applauding as Federer, 41, was honoured for his stellar sporting achievements on Centre Court following his retirement from the game last year.
Upon arrival, the Princess chatted with ball boys and girls present at the tournament who looked starstruck to be meeting royalty, but who all remained professional.
Kate, 41, praised a Wimbledon maintenance manager for fixing a leak at the Court One shop just a day before the Championships began, before settling in alongside the likes of Emma Waton and Dame Maggie Smith to watch the match.
The Princess braved high winds to attend the All Lawn and Tennis Club, of which she is patron, while the organisers of the tournament sent out a weather warning to attendees last night.