Today would have been the first day of Wimbledon 2020, with the annual tennis tournament cancelled this year due to the coronavirus.
While the courts stand empty and the viewers are forced to drink Pimm’s from their homes instead of on Murray Mount, fans have been marking the occasion by sharing Wimbledon anecdotes. And among them are of course some royal appearances.
The royal family are known to be Wimbledon fans, with the Duchess of Cambridge, patron of All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, often watching from the Royal Box.
It’s hardly surprising therefore that when Wimbledon released an emotional video to mark the cancelled tournament, they asked the Duchess of Cambridge to be its narrator.
’350 days, 14 hours and 12 minutes between the last ball hit and when the next was meant to be,’ Kate reads during the video shared by the tennis Championships. ‘Over the years your support has shaped this historic event. No matter the time of day or the names on the scoreboard, you have always been there, come rain or shine. This year sadly though things are very different, but we will bide our time until we sit on the edge of our seats again and celebrate again. So, when the time is right and we open the gates, we will be back again and it will have been worth the wait.’
Well, that’s lovely.
This article originally appeared on marie claire U.K.
