Kate, the Princess of Wales, had the best seat in the house Tuesday on Centre Court at Wimbledon — in the front row of the Royal Box and right next to Roger Federer.
The future queen, wearing a mint green blazer, made her way down to her seat only moments before Federer was feted ahead of the opening match on Day 2 of the grass-court tournament.
The retired tennis star received a standing ovation of 1 1/2 minutes from spectators, including Princess Kate, as he arrived at Centre Court to watch the match between Elena Rybakina and Shelby Rogers.
Although Federer, an eight-time champion at the All England Club, sat between the princess and his wife, Mirka, several reports and tweets accused the tennis legend of breaking a protocol.
As per Sky News, there was somewhat an awkward moment between Federer and Kate when he took his seat next to her and appeared to touch her back and lean in for a kiss on the cheek. Royal protocol dictates members of the Royal Family never be touched in public unless they offer their hand first.
The News reported that Federer’s friendly display of affection towards Kate seemingly irked his wife Mirka, whose visuals of not looking very thrilled went viral on social media.
A section of social media also accused the Princess of flirting with Federer and discussing her private life with her.
Not too long ago the duo had engaged in a friendly tennis match to advertise the Wimbledon Championship.
Kate has been somewhat of a regular visitor to Wimbledon since marrying Prince William. The late Queen Elizabeth II, William’s grandmother, made only a handful of trips to the All England Club during her 70-year reign. Her last appearance in the Royal Box was in 2010.
(With inputs from agencies)