England’s premier strawberries-and-cream-while-wearing-exclusively-white festival – Wimbledon, what else? – never fails to draw a seriously A-list crowd.
This year, tennis fans have been treated to glimpses of everyone from David Beckham to Douglas Booth, Sam Smith to Sienna Miller, Chiwetel Ejiofor to Cressida Bonas. Jude Law – the internet’s boyfriend before the internet knew it could conceive of such a thing – sat in the royal box alongside his nextgen incarnation, the internet’s boyfriend du jour James Norton.
Even celebrities who know nothing about tennis and frankly don’t care about the noble sport attended. (Beyonce, we’re looking at you).
But the Wimbledon championship matches (Andy Murray vs. Milos Raonic and Serena Williams vs. Angelique Kerber) garnered the most impressive and star-studded list of attendees thus far. Forthwith, a diagram of the royal box at the mens’ singles final on the weekend:
Presided over by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge themselves, a double pass to the royal box is the most exclusive invitation in the entirety of the tournament. There are just 74 Lloyd Loom wicker chairs in a delicious, forest green hue in the box, and they are doled out to select ‘friends and guests’, a motley crew that runs the gamut of politicians and international heads of state, tennis royalty, high-flying commercial partners and various luminaries and “supporters of British tennis”, which usually means celebrities.
Dress code is strict – “smart, suits/jacket and tie… [no] hats” – Wimbledon’s website reads, and in the past certain celebrities have been turned away for not adhering to the dress code. (Most famously, racing driver Lewis Hamilton at last year’s tournament, who wasn’t wearing a suit or tie, but rather a colourful floral shirt).
Sophie Turner and Benedict Cumberbatch
Lily James and her grandmother
Irina Shawk and Bradley Cooper
This year’s box was stuffed to the brim with A-listers. Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Turner rubbed shoulders with Bradley Cooper and his girlfriend, supermodel Irina Shayk – literally and figuratively, they were sat right next to each other. Behind them, actress and former marie claire cover girl Lily James took her grandmother as her plus one.
In front of this group was outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron with his mother Mary. A few rows back Hugh Grant was seated next to his girlfriend Anna Eberstein, while in front of them Lilly Becker (wife of tennis legend Boris Becker) had a perfect view of all the on-court action. In the front row, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge occupied their usual courtside seats.
But the royal box isn’t the only place you’ll find celebrities at Wimbledon. Elsewhere in the crowds actors Luke Evans, Diane Keaton and Sienna Miller watched the final unfold alongside Poppy Delevingne and her husband James Cook.
At the women’s final there was a similarly star-studded crowd. Best friends Rashida Jones and Natalie Portman watched Serena Williams storm to her 7th Wimbledon win, as did Beyone and Jay-Z. In the Royal Box was Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Maisie Williams and Sir David Attenborough.
We’re assuming our invitation got lost in the mail.
