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As British wildcard Arthur Fery competes in the Wimbledon semifinals this afternoon in London, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester is back in the Royal Box to cheer him on. It’s her third time attending Wimbledon this year; she was there on the fourth day of competition, and earlier this week on the eighth day of the tournament. Birgitte is a regular at Wimbledon in her capacity as Honorary President of Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain.
Karwai Tang//Getty Images
L-R in the Royal Box today: Louis Theroux, Sophie Hunter, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, Benedict Cumberbatch, Baz Luhrmann, Sandi Toksvig and Anna Wintour.
Queen Camilla was in attendance for Fery’s upset victory in the quarterfinals, and wished him luck right before the match. “We were getting ready to come on and she came to say hello. She introduced herself to both me and Flavio,” he said, referring to his opponent, Flavio Cobolli. “It’s obviously an honour to play in front of her. Great to meet her. She had some really kind words to me at the end as well. Playing in front of tennis legends and now the Queen, it’s special.”
In addition, Kate Middleton, the royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, congratulated Fery after his last win. “Congratulations to Arthur Fery on becoming the first British wildcard to reach the Gentlemen’s Singles semi-finals in the Open Era, a fantastic achievement that has inspired so many. Wishing you the very best for the next round,” she wrote, signing it “C” for Catherine.
Kate is expected to be at Wimbledon for both the men’s and women’s finals this weekend.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.