Kate Middleton was on the end of an awkward but funny lesson from tennis legend Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
The Princess of Wales, a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, took to the court ahead of this year’s tournament.
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She starred in a promotional video about the impressive preparations the ball boys and ball girls go through as they had their first day of training at Wimbledon.
During filming, Kate was stood alongside young Mollie in her attempts to learn the ropes as Federer, widely regarded among the greatest tennis players ever, enjoyed a few rallies.
And with his serve returned, but heading out, Kate proceeded to catch the ball before it bounced.
“Good catch!” said Mollie, encouraging the royal rather than pointing out the error. However, Federer was quick to joke: “Are you allowed to do that?”
Upon realisation, Kate replied: “Oh yeah, are you allowed to do that? That’s a good point.”
“In Australia they would catch it but here in Wimbledon they don’t,” the highly experienced Federer went on to clarify.
Kate then realised her mistake and Mollie politely revealed the correct protocol to follow: “You’re not meant to catch it, you’re meant to let it bounce and then get it, but good catch.”
The Princess of Wales also lauded the ball boys and ball girls in the film for the work that they do at the iconic tournament.
“Wimbledon is renowned for its amazingly professional ball boys and ball girls,” she said. “The amount of work it takes, it’s incredible to see it behind the scenes.”
She added: “To see the training and the dedication and the amount of time that’s put into training and making sure that this sort of goes well on the day for the champions who are playing at Wimbledon, it’s incredible to see it behind the scenes.”
Kate also played small doubles match against eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer, who cried ‘Amazing’ to one of her shots.
This year’s tournament begins on Monday, July 3, with Novak Djokovic entering as the reigning champion and hoping to win a 24th grand slam.
There will be no Emma Raducanu from a British fan’s perspective, but Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans are there as is two-time champion Andy Murray, who is hoping for a kind draw.
Despite a metal hip, the 36-year-old is not planning to retire just yet.
