The Wimbledon women’s singles final has arrived, with celebrities taking their seats in the Royal Box on Centre Court.
Five-time grand-slam champion Iga Swiatek, 24, is the betting favourite to win against Amanda Anisimova who outlasted world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 27, in a tense semi-final on Thursday (10 July).
The match will be followed by the men’s final on Sunday (13 July) with Jannik Sinner, 23, going up against 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.
The women’s final is due to commence at 4.00pm. Follow along with all the updates on The Independent’s live blog here.
Several A-Listers will be watching the action unfold from the Centre Court’s Royal Box. Situated in the prime-viewing slot, the exclusive area has been used for the entertainment of friends and guests of Wimbledon since 1922, and it has 74 exclusive seats.
Invitations are sent by the Chairman of the All England Club, but members of The Championships’ Organising Committee and The Lawn Tennis Association can make suggestions.
Already spotted at this year’s Wimbledon are stars including David Beckham, Ellie Goulding, Leonardo DiCaprio Fry, Zendaya, Eddie Redmayne, Jason Isaacs, and Hugh Grant. The Bridget Jones star delighted fans when he appeared to fall asleep watching Novak Djokovic triumph over Flavio Coboli earlier this week. Djokovic went on to lose in straight sets to Sinner in the semi-finals.
See below for all the celebrities in the Royal Box at Wimbledon today (12 July):
Kate Middleton
The Princess of Wales, who is a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, delighted spectators with last-minute news that she will be watching Saturday’s final. The royal’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the Royal Box on Monday (30 June).
Kate will also present the trophy on Centre Court to the winner of the final on day 13 of the championships.
Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay
The eight-time world champion and three-time Olympic gold medallist is in the stands with his fiancé, Holly Ramsay, daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Stanley Tucci and Joan Tropiano
The Hollywood star and Oscar nominee (for the 2009 film The Lovely Bones) Stanley Tucci is watching the match alongside his mother Joan. Tucci’s other credits include Hunger Games, Transformers, and The Devil Wears Prada. He is also known for his cooking programmes and books.
Christiane Amanpour and Laura Bailey
The British-Iranian journalist and television host is in attendance with the model Laura Bailey. Amanpour is the Chief International Anchor for CNN.
Sir Mohamed Farah
Another athlete in the crowd is Sir Mo Farah. The 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, who was knighted in 2017 for services to athletics, was pictured with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and seen shaking hands with journalist Clive Myrie.
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
The Oscar-nominated actor and director behind Ladybird, Little Women and Barbie is present in the Royal Box alongside her husband, fellow filmmaker Noah Baumbach, whose films include Frances Ha and Marriage Story, for which Laura Dern won an Academy Award in 2020.
Kemi Badenoch and Hamish Badenoch
Leader of the Opposition, the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch is in attendance with her husband Hamish.
Sam Mendes and Alison Balsom
The British director, producer and screenwriter (behind acclaimed films including 1917, American Beauty, and Skyfall) makes an appearance at the tennis event together with his wife, the trumpet soloist Alison Balsom OBE.
Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss
Tennis superstar Billie Jean King will be watching the match alongside her wife and fellow tennis player Ilana Kloss. American legend King is the former world No 1 tennis player, winning 39 Grand Slam titles across her illustrious career. South African Kloss was the World’s No 1 ranked doubles player in 1976 and No 19 in singles in 1979. This is not the first Wimbledon match King has attended this year; she previously watched from the Royal Box on day six of the competition.
Lisa Nandy
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Lisa Nandy is among the politicians who will be watching the action unfold from the Royal Box.
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