14 July 2023 , 06:00
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Whenever the Princess of Wales visits Wimbledon, she can be assured of getting one of the best seats in the house.
She nearly always gets a spot in Centre Court's royal box - and with it, she gets to mingle with other royals, celebrities and tennis legends invited to sit in the prestigious area. And it seems one year, a tennis champion was quick to accost Kate as she watched the 2019 men's final with Prince William - and produced an incredible gift for her to give to Prince Louis.
The Grand Slam champion in question was none other than tennis player turned trainer designer Stan Smith - and he handed Kate a mini pair of his iconic Adidas trainers. Not only that, he had personalised the kicks with a message written in gold pen reading: "To Louis" with his signature.
Former tennis player Stan Smith gives Kate a signed pair of Stan Smith trainers (Getty Images)It's unknown if Louis, who is now five, has ever worn the customised trainers - but given they have Stan's signature on them, maybe William and Kate have kept them as a souvenir?
The exchange came as William and Kate settled down to watch the men's Wimbledon final four years ago, which was a hard-fought five-set epic between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, with the Serbian player crowned victorious.
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Kate is known to be a pal of Federer, who lost that day, and earlier in this year's tournament, she was present for a special ceremony honouring eight-time Wimbledon champion before playing on Centre Court.
She was on her feet as she stood to applaud Federer, who was welcomed to the royal box after a video of his achievements was played. He took a seat next to the princess, who was clapping as the 41-year-old arrived at the scene of his eight titles for the first time since he retired last September.
Stan signed the trainers in honour of Prince Louis (James Marsh/BPI/REX)The pair could be seen exchanging a few words and even a joke as the Swiss player enjoyed a long-standing ovation, leaving him looking emotional. It was the first time Kate and the tennis player had been seen together since appearing in a warm-up promo video for Wimbledon highlighting the work of ball boys and girls.
It is believed Roger and wife Mirka are friends of the Middletons with them attending Kate's sister Pippa's wedding in 2017. Kate once also revealed how the tennis star was also her mum Carole's heartthrob.
Earlier that day, Kate had been on Court 18, one of the outside courts, to watch Brit No 1 Katie Boulter, who had been taking on Australia's Daria Saville in her first-round match. She won that match but was knocked out last Saturday in the third round.
But her stint on Court 18 didn't last long as she was forced to take shelter under an umbrella and was seen leaving the court as rain stopped play. The match was suspended and the court covered because of the wet weather.