From Beckham to King Felipe VI, here’s who gets a Wimbledon Royal Box seat

David Beckham, Roger Federer, Sir David Attenborough, King Felipe VI of Spain and a rotation of entertainers, scientists and business executives have all sat in Wimbledon’s Royal Box over the years. Yet there is no public list of criteria explaining exactly who makes the cut.

According to the All England Lawn Tennis Club, invitations to the 74-seat box go to members of British and overseas royal families, heads of government, current and former tennis players, commercial partners, representatives from the British armed forces, prominent media organisations and supporters of British tennis. What that list doesn’t capture is just how wide the net actually is.

The invitation process has no public criteria, and as The Athletic has reported, it is essentially decided by whoever chairs the All England Club at any given time, a role Debbie Jevans has held since 2023. The informal nature of the process has occasionally caused tension, including a 1999 incident when the Duchess of Kent was refused permission to bring a deceased friend’s 12-year-old son into the box because he was not royal.

Built in 1922 alongside the current Centre Court, the Royal Box holds just 74 dark green wicker chairs and cannot be accessed through any premium package, resale market or corporate connection. Guests are also welcomed into the Clubhouse for lunch before play and afternoon tea afterward.

Even celebrity status offers no guarantee: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton was turned away in 2015 for arriving without a jacket and tie, missing the men’s final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by GATORFAN2525