While the winning moment on Wimbledon centre court was an exciting moment for everyone involved, Prince George and Princess Charlotte had extra time with the champion himself after Italy’s Jannik Sinner’s historic win in the prestigious tennis tournament. It was a fantastic outing for the Wales family, who took their seat at the Royal Box on Centre Court to watch Sinnner defeat Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.
The 22-year-old won his first Wimbledon championship, defeating Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Thrilling video footage after the match showed Princess Charlotte and Prince George with the Wimbledon champion, each receiving a sweet gift from the tennis star.
Sinner signed three small green tennis balls for the royal children with his autograph and handed them over to Princess Charlotte.
Charlotte proceeded to hand a third tennis ball to the champion, with Princess Kate adding: “They’ve got one for their brother as well!” The young royals politely said “thank you”, as the Italian handed them back the signed balls – one for Prince Louis too.
Princess Kate further added how “amazing” it was to quickly see the names added to a board after a win at Wimbledon. Kate, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club had earlier handed over the winning trophy to Sinner on the court.
Following in the footsteps of their parents, Princess Charlotte and Prince George proceeded to shake hands with the winner, with George stating “well done” to the champion.
Royal fans loved seeing the interaction between the group, which was posted to the official Wimbledon X page. One said: “He signed a tennis ball for the future king of England. This has got to be the best day of this guy’s life.”
Another wrote: “A delightful tradition at Wimbledon, where champions like Jannik Sinner gift signed tennis balls to young royals, capturing a moment of sportsmanship and cultural significance.”
A third added: “The little princess gave him two balls to sign – one for her and the other for her little brother Louis.”
Another wrote: “I love how Prince William stands back, respecting his wife’s position as Patron of the LTA.”
The Princess of Wales has long been a staple at the Wimbledon finals. Last year, she presented the winner’s trophy to Carlos Alcaraz following his win over Novak Djokovic.
This is now the third Grand Slam singles title for Jannik, who has two Australian Open wins and one US Open victory under his belt.
