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A royal lucky charm! King Felipe of Spain was in the Royal Box at Wimbledon as Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz was crowned the king of Centre Court on Sunday after defeating Novak Djokovic in the gentlemen’s singles final. The Prince and Princess of Wales , as well as Prince George and Princess Charlotte, were also in the Royal Box for the final day of The Championships.
In an interview after the match, the 2023 Wimbledon champion admitted that it was “really, really special” to play in front of royalty, including the Spanish monarch. “Felipe, I’m really proud, you know, that you are here supporting me. Well, I played in front of you, just twice. Twice that I won. I hope you are coming more,” Carlos said, prompting the King and crowd to laugh.
Queen Letizia’s husband traveled to the UK to attend the gentlemen’s singles final between Carlos and Novak. King Felipe and the Wales family congratulated the 20 year old on his first Wimbledon win following the nearly five hour match. His Majesty also met with Novak.
Casa de S.M. el Rey congratulated the tennis player on social media, tweeting (translated to English): “Dreaming and playing like a number one. This is how you have become the champion of @Wimbledon 2023. Congratulations, @carlosalcaraz!”
Princess Charlotte made her debut at Wimbledon on Sunday. The eight-year-old Princess was pictured cheering during the match and speaking with King Felipe. Charlotte attended with her parents and her older brother, Prince George. The Princess of Wales revealed that her five-year-old son, Prince Louis, “was very upset” to miss out on the family outing.
“It’s Charlotte’s first time, George came last year,” Catherine told Ella Ottaway, who runs the All England Club’s young people program (via The Telegraph ). “They’ve been eagerly watching,” the Princess added, noting that Princess Charlotte was still “getting to grips with the scoring.”
The royal mom of three is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The Princess presented Carlos with his trophy on Sunday, and the ladies’ singles final winner, Marketa Vondrousova, with hers on Saturday.