Carole Middleton’s Wimbledon "heartthrob" was once revealed by the Princess of Walesm - and he's now a family friend.
We’re used to the Prince and Princess of Wales sharing sweet anecdotes about Prince George, Charlotte and Louis at royal engagements, but Kate has also shared a few intriguing insights about her parents over the years too. Several of these are connected to tennis, and more specifically Wimbledon, which all of the Middletons are known to be huge fans of. Carole and Michael have often been spotted cheering the players on courtside at SW19 and in the same 2017 documentary where it was revealed Kate was left "mortified" by her dad Michael’s faux pas, she also good-naturedly disclosed Carole’s Wimbledon "heartthrob".
As reported by Hello! at the time, the Princess of Wales got candid on the BBC’s Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon documentary and explained that Carole has a not-so-secret crush on Roger Federer. Not only that, but she suspects that the eight time Wimbledon champion is "probably" well aware.
"Roger is my mother's heartthrob. I don't think she will mind me saying that! I think he probably knows that too," she laughingly declared.
So it seems that Carole Middleton very much has a favourite tennis player, but sadly she won’t get to see Roger Federer play at Wimbledon anymore as the Swiss star retired in September 2022. However, Carole’s "heartthrob" has become somewhat of a family friend to the Middletons over the years and he and his wife Mirka attended Pippa Middleton’s wedding, also in 2017.
Roger has also reportedly given Prince George a tennis lesson at Carole and Michael’s Berkshire home, which is close to the Wales’s current residence, Adelaide Cottage. Speaking at Wimbledon after achieving victory in the 2nd round in 2019, Roger described George’s skills as being "already good" and added that he loved seeing how "into sports" he was.
The now-10-year-old Prince George was also apparently a big fan of Roger’s, just like his grandmother, though the modest star confessed he had an advantage there. Roger added, "I'm the only player he's ever met. Then you have a little head start in who is your favourite player."
In her role as Patron of the All-England Tennis and Croquet Club Kate presented the runner-up trophy to Roger Federer at Wimbledon 2019 and, just like her son, once took to the courts with the tennis icon. She played with him last year in a behind-the-scenes video highlighting the work of the ball boys and girls at the championships.
In the 2017 documentary, Kate explained that simply being at Wimbledon and soaking up the atmosphere each year inspires her to dream big with her tennis skills.
"Being able to go into Wimbledon and be part of what is so amazing there, the atmosphere, is incredible, whether you're sitting on Henman Hill or are fortunate enough to be in one of the Centre Courts," she said. "Every time Wimbledon is on I am thinking, 'Yes, I could do the same' and get out the racket. Sadly, never the same results."
Despite this self-deprecating remark, Kate was praised by Roger for getting a shot past him during their game of doubles in 2023.
"I think it was on the line. Amazing!" he supposedly told her, as she responded, "Any tips on my serve at the same time would be very helpful."
