The Queen told tennis star Novak Djokovic that she was keeping her “fingers crossed” as she visited Wimbledon on day 10 of the championships.
Camilla was accompanied by her sister Annabel Elliot to the Royal Box of the tennis tournament, with seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic in action on Centre Court on Wednesday afternoon.
After being introduced to Djokovic on the players’ lawn by All England Club chairwoman Debbie Jevans, Camilla said: “Oh what a treat, how nice to see you. It’s lovely to see you.”
The Queen, wearing a white animal print dress by Fiona Clare, told Djokovic that she was keeping her “fingers crossed”, with the Serb in quarter-final action on Centre Court against Italian Flavio Cobolli.
Djokovic replied: “It will be my great honour. I appreciate it.”
Ms Jevans told Camilla of Djokovic: “He especially wanted to come and meet you.”
There were loud cheers and applause from spectators for both the Queen and Djokovic as they walked into Centre Court.
Camilla also met American tennis star Billie Jean King before entering Centre Court.
The royal told the former tennis player: “It’s very nice to see you still going strong.”
King, 81, replied: “You are too.”
Camilla then joked: “We try, don’t we.”
King added: “Thank you for being here. It means a lot to us.”
Camilla also met 15-year-old ball boy Karsten, from Harris Academy Merton, and 15-year-old ball girl Noreen, from the Tiffin Girls’ School, Kingston.
Karsten said he was “really starstruck” to meet the Queen, adding: “I’ve never been in a situation like that seeing someone so famous, it was a really good experience.”
The ball boy, who was stood next to Djokovic in the line-up waiting for the royal, said of the tennis star: “I got a nice handshake with him, we had a good conversation.”
Camilla also met key staff at the championships including lead gardener Robin Murphy, who has worked at the tournament for 21 years.
Asked about meeting the Queen, Mr Murphy said: “It was slightly nerve-wracking but I feel very privileged at the same time.”
Mr Murphy, who maintains more than 50,000 plants at the tournament, added of their conversation: “She was mainly asking about what we’ve been up to this year and the challenges we faced, and was really complimentary of all the plantings.
“She asked to pass a message on to the team and make sure that all the hard work is recognised.”
Camilla also met the tournament’s lead groundsperson Will Brierley, who has worked at the tournament for 20 years.
Mr Brierley said it was a “really proud moment” to meet the Queen.
He added: “My little boy’s been learning about the royal family in school recently, so it’d be a nice moment to show him as well.”
Camilla met Wimbledon’s collections manager Malin Lundin, who designs displays that welcome players and guests to the tournament.
Ms Lundin, who has worked at Wimbledon for 12 years, said it was “really amazing” to meet the Queen.
The Princess Royal’s son Peter Phillips attended the championships on Wednesday, with Hugh Grant and former prime minister Sir John Major also in the Royal Box.
The Princess of Wales’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the Royal Box on Monday, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester also in attendance.
Kate, who attended the final weekend of last year’s championships, is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Last year the princess presented the Wimbledon men’s final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, in her second public engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis.
