Newly unearthed reports have shed light on a dispute between the Duchess of Kent and Wimbledon officials in 1999, which left the royal “deeply hurt”. The incident occurred when Katharine, Duchess of Kent, requested to bring the 12-year-old son of a bereaved friend into the Royal Box, but her request was refused because non-royal children were not permitted in the exclusive enclosure.
According to reports, the child was offered alternative seating, and the Duchess received a letter from Wimbledon tennis chief John Curry reminding her of the rules. The letter also reportedly told her to limit guests to one per day, with the Guardian claiming the Duchess was “in the habit of inviting three or four guests several times during the tournament”.
The BBC reported that the Duchess was “deeply hurt” by the letter and considered a boycott of the Royal Box. In September 1999, Curry apologised to Katharine but stood by the ban. In a statement, he said: “I regret any unintentional hurt this may have caused to her Royal Highness.” He denied restricting her to one guest per day, stating: “As happens every year with all our royal guests, I reconfirmed our guidelines concerning the invitation of additional guests and the subject of children. No royal has been limited to one guest in the past or will be in the future.”
Refusing to change the ban, Curry added: “Because of demand for space in the royal box, we also ask that, apart from children of the royal family, children are not invited as they exclude other worthy people from attending, many of whom contribute to tennis.”
Despite reports of a potential boycott, a spokesman for the Duchess made clear that she “respects the rules”. The spokesman told the BBC: “The Duchess has asked me to make clear that she respects the rules and regulations of the All England Lawn Tennis Club with whom she shares a wish to encourage more children and young people to watch and participate in tennis. She has also asked me to say that, as in previous years, she is much looking forward to attending next year's championships and the next Davis Cup matches.”
Along with her husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Katharine continued to hand out winners’ trophies until 2001, well after her retirement from public life. The Duchess is perhaps best remembered for comforting Jana Novotna after her loss to Steffi Graf in the 1993 final.
