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28 March 2024

Duchess Catherine told not to attend Wimbledon 2013

Published

The Duchess of Cambridge was strongly advised not to attend the Wimbledon final in 2013 because she was "heavily pregnant".

The 35-year-old royal is an avid fan of tennis, especially the annual sporting extravaganza, and she begged her doctor to give her consent to attend the finale four years ago, but the medical expert refused to let her go.

Duchess Catherine gave birth to her first child Prince George - who is now three years old - on July 22, which was two weeks after Andy Murray defeated his competitor Novak Djokovic and was crowned champion.

But Catherine - who also has two-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte with her husband the Duke of Cambridge - was gutted she couldn't watch Murray win and decided to write him a letter apologising for missing the match.

Speaking in a documentary titled 'Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon', which will mark 90 years of Wimbledon coverage when it airs on BBC One on Sunday, Catherine, who is the patron of All England Lawn Tennis Club - said: "I was very heavily pregnant. I wrote to him [Murray] afterwards saying sorry for not being there.

"I have watched Wimbledon, that was very much part of my growing up."

And Catherine has revealed every year when Wimbledon comes around she feels inspired to become a tennis player and is desperate to take to the courts to test her backhand.

She explained: "It inspires young people including myself. Every time Wimbledon is on I am thinking 'Yes, I could do the same' and get out the racket."

The Duchess of Cambridge wants to be a tennis player

The Duchess of Cambridge wants to be a tennis player after watching Wimbledon matches.

The 35-year-old royal has admitted the sporting extravaganza was a huge part of her childhood when she was growing up as her and her family would always watch the annual tennis event, and even now the star is inspired to whip out her own tennis racket and take to the court when the games return.

Speaking about the sport and how it encourages her to become more active, she said: "I have watched Wimbledon, that was very much part of my growing up.

"It inspires young people including myself. Every time Wimbledon is on I am thinking 'Yes, I could do the same' and get out the racket."

However Duchess Catherine - who has three-year-old son Prince George and two-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte with her husband the Duke of Cambridge - has admitted she is not as successful or gifted at the sport as the competitors she has watched.

Speaking in a new BBC documentary titled 'Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon', which will mark 90 years of Wimbledon coverage when it airs on BBC One on Sunday (02.07.17), Catherine said: "Sadly, not the same results."

Meanwhile Catherine, who was formerly known as Kate Middleton before she married Prince William, has revealed her nickname used to be "Squeak" when she was a child, which was inspired by her school's pet hamsters Pip and Squeak.

Speaking previously, she said: "There was one called Pip and one called Squeak, so my sister was called Pip and I was called Squeak."