Yesterday delivered a treat for both tennis and royal watchers around the world, as the Princess of Wales attended the final day of the Wimbledon, ready to congratulate the winner as part of her role as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. Happily, Catherine was joined by Prince William and their two older children, Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, 11 – but Prince Louis, 8, was nowhere to be seen.
Some royal fans picked up on Louis’ absence and queried why, given that both George and Charlotte made their Wimbledon debuts at the age of 8, and speculated it could be because Louis’ is gaining a slight reputation for being the cheekier one of the trio (see: his iconic dancing on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping of the Colour, for just one example).
Well, according to royal expert, Robert Jobson, author of The Windsor Legacy, the reason for Louis’ absence is pretty simple. “Wimbledon is a grown up day out. The Royal Box is full of stars and a certain decorum is expected,” he tells Cosmopolitan UK. “Stillness. Silence between points. Hours of it. A five setter asks for patience most adults struggle to find.”
Karwai Tang
He adds that there’s also the simple arithmetic of parenting for the Waleses to consider. “Catherine is there in an official capacity, she is working. She has a role to perform, hands to shake, a trophy to present, and a great deal to focus on. That leaves William with the children.
“Three at once is a lot. Two is manageable. One parent, two children who already know the form, is a far easier afternoon than one parent and three.”
As for why Prince George and Princess Charlotte were allowed to join, Jobson flags that they’ve behaved well at previous sporting events requiring high levels of etiquette. “They arrive, they sit, they behave, they watch. Charlotte in particular loves her tennis. She has been with her mother a number of times now and she understands exactly what is expected of her.”
But, Jobson adds, it’s likely we’ll be seeing Louis in the Royal Box before too long. “There is no exile here. [Louis] has not been kept from the limelight. His parents have never hidden him away and they are not about to start.
“My sense is that it was felt he was a little young to sustain it, and that he was almost certainly doing something he enjoys a great deal more. His time will come. Soon, I’d say.”
Perhaps we may even see Louis working at the sporting event, given that Princess Catherine told one ball girl at Wimbledon that he had his eye on the gig: “She told me about how Louis was asking her about how to become a ball boy, and we were talking about how much hard work it is to be on court and how we work alongside the ball kids, and it’s just so lovely,” Jenna Fontanilla told The Telegraph.
Watch this space!
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She’s grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.