What to Know
Kate Middleton and Prince William have made attending Wimbledon an annual tradition for their family, but there’s one very important member who is always missing from the Royal Box: Prince Louis. This year was no different — even though Louis is 8 years old, they left him at home again. So why didn’t he get to join his siblings for the matches? Will and Kate have never offered an explanation, but there are a few reasons that could explain why he stays behind.
The Royal Box isn’t necessarily kid-friendly.
The family always sits in the Royal Box, which is an ultra-exclusive seating area that come with plenty of rules for the guests who are lucky enough to sit there. Space is also limited, and it wasn’t all that long ago that kids actually weren’t allowed to be there at all.
In fact, according to People, in 1999, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club chairman at the time, John Curry, said in a statement that they wanted to keep kids to a minimum.
“Because of demand for space in the royal box, we also ask that, apart from children of the royal family, children are not invited as they exclude other worthy people from attending, many of whom contribute to tennis,” the statement said.
Of course, Kate — being the patron of the organization and the future queen of England — would have special pull if she wanted Louis to go, but with all the guidelines around the Royal Box, it doesn’t sound like an ideal place for a young kid to spend their weekend.
Louis may not have actually wanted to go.
It’s safe to say that Louis is the life of the party and always has been — that much has been obvious after seeing his cheeky antics at the events he has attended.
That said, Wimbledon might have been too boring and buttoned up for a kid with this much energy, not to mention the fact that he might have had something else to do over the weekend.
He’ll be making a later Wimbledon debut than both of his siblings.
In years past, it hasn’t been too surprising that the family would attend Wimbledon without Louis, but many thought that this year’s event would be different. After all, both George and Charlotte attended the tournament for the first time when they were 8 years old, so it seemed like it was finally Louis’ turn.
But all kids are different, and Louis may not be ready to sit still for such a long day in the direct sunlight, so it’s hard to blame Kate for leaving him at home if that was the case.
Besides, as People points out, William was actually 9 years old the first time he went to Wimbledon with mom Princess Diana, so maybe next year will be the year for Louis, too.
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