Day four of Wimbledon has begun, meaning a host of VIPs are watching the action live from the Royal Box.
As its name suggests, the box has often housed members of the Royal Family, notably the Princess of Wales, patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Although Kate was not in attendance today due to her cancer diagnosis, her parents, Michael and Carole, made a special appearance at the tennis tournament.
It is unknown which royals will be attending this year’s tournament (the Duchess of Gloucester made an appearance yesterday), but other recognisable faces were in the box today, including Australian cricketer Pat Cummins and adventurer Bear Grylls.
Here, FEMAIL reveals some of the high-profile guests in the Royal Box at Wimbledon today.
Pictured: 1. Michael Middleton 2. Carole Middleton 3. Seb Coe 4. Shara Grylls 5. Bear Grylls 6. Pat Cummins
Carole and Michael Middleton
The Princess of Wales’ mother and father, Carole and Michael Middleton, attended the fourth day of Wimbledon in their second public appearance since their daughter’s cancer diagnosis.
The radiant couple, dressed in all their finest, looked in good spirits as they sat next to each other in the royal box for the prestigious event in London.
This follows their joyous appearance at Royal Ascot last month, when they joined members of the Royal Family, including their son-in-law Prince William, at the lavish occasion.
Carole Middleton looked elegant as she arrived at the tennis event in a floral dress alongside her husband, Michael Middleton.
The Princess of Wales’ parents took their seats in the front row of the royal box on the fourth day of Wimbledon
Carole, 69, and Michael, 75, looked cheerful as they watched the tennis tournament from the Royal Box.
Carole, 69, cut a stylish figure in a floral dress and cropped white blazer as she watched the action live, while her husband, 75, sat beside her and looked equally dapper in a navy suit.
The Middletons, who live in Berkshire, often attend several days of Wimbledon but are usually only invited to sit in the Royal Box once per tournament.
It’s a well-deserved day off for Carole and Michael, who have reportedly been supporting their daughter through her cancer treatment at their home in Windsor.
The Bear and Shara Grylls
British adventurer Bear Grylls today swapped treacherous and remote conditions for the comfort of the royal box.
Grylls, 50, is a former pupil of Eton College, the same school attended by Princes William and Harry. However, being eight years older than William, Bear did not share classes with either prince.
Despite this, Grylls is said to be close friends with the Prince of Wales and has collaborated with him and Prince Harry on several wildlife conservation projects over the years.
British adventurer Bear Grylls took his seat in the prestigious royal box alongside his wife Shara Grylls.
The 50-year-old, who is said to be a close friend of the Prince of Wales, looked dapper in a navy suit and smart white shirt for the occasion.
Bear put on a pair of sporty sunglasses as he read the programme for the fourth day of the sporting event.
He sat next to his wife, author Shara Grylls, 50, with whom he shares three children.
The couple married in 2000 after a whirlwind romance, having known each other for about two years.
The adventurer previously revealed that he and Shara went to marriage counseling at the beginning of their union as a preventative measure to guide them through married life.
Shara has written two books since they got married, the first of which, Marriage Matters, was published in 2009.
Pat and Becky Cummins
Australian men’s cricket captain Pat Cummins took his seat in the Royal Box for day four of Wimbledon alongside his wife, Becky.
The 31-year-old cricketer was once a teenage prodigy, mentored by Australian cricket great Dennis Lillee.
He has since broken his master’s records, taking 250 Test wickets at a superior average and strike rate, while captaining his country.
Australian cricketer Pat Cummins cut a dapper figure in a grey suit in the Royal Box on day four of Wimbledon.
The 31-year-old sat next to his glamorous wife, Becky, who wore a white blazer with striking gold buttons for the event.
Among Australian fast bowlers, only Lillee and Glenn McGrath (55) have reached the 250-wicket mark in fewer Tests than Cummins’ 57 (Mitchell Johnson also achieved the milestone in 57 Tests).
He is the tenth Australian bowler to reach the mark, joining teammates Mitchell Starc (342 Test wickets) and Nathan Lyon (505) on the coveted list.
The sportsman attended Wimbledon with his glamorous wife Becky Cummins. Becky married Australian cricket captain Pat in a lavish ceremony in Byron Bay in July 2022.
The couple, who share one son, Albie, tied the knot at the French-inspired Chateau Du Soleil surrounded by family and friends.
They welcomed Albie in October 2021, with Pat tweeting at the time that he was “beyond in love” with the baby.
Bill and Cynthia Bryson
Travel writer Bill Bryson travelled to SW19 with his wife Cynthia to watch day four of Wimbledon today.
The esteemed writer came to the UK while backpacking around Europe in his early 20s. He got a job in a psychiatric hospital where he met a fellow nurse, Cynthia Billen, whom he married and had four children together.
He and Cynthia moved again to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1975 so that Bryson could finish his degree, but the couple settled in the UK in 1977 and currently live in Hampshire.
Bryson began his writing career in the late 1970s as a journalist on the Bournemouth Evening Echo and eventually became business editor of The Times and deputy national news editor of The Independent.
Esteemed travel writer Bill Bryson watched the tennis with his wife Cynthia Bryson from the Royal Box.
The author of A Short History of Nearly Everything seemed animated as he watched today’s action.
He wrote his first book – The Palace Beneath the Alps and More Than 200 Unusual, Unspoiled and Little-Visited Places in 16 European Countries – in 1985.
But the celebrated writer, who was awarded an OBE in 2006, considers A Short History of Nearly Everything, published in 2003, to be his most prized book.
Bill was born in Iowa but has lived mainly in the UK since the 1970s. In 2020, the 72-year-old writer of Notes from a Small Island announced his retirement, saying he had decided to “indulge rather than explore new territory”.
At the time, the author said he had been “treating retirement as an experiment so far this year, but it’s been successful.”
Sebastian and Harry Coe
They were the father-son duo of the Royal Box as they arrived on day four of Wimbledon.
Lord Coe won 1,500m gold at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, served as a Conservative MP for five years and masterminded the 2012 London Games.
Currently President of the International Association of Athletics Federations, Sebastian divides his time between Monaco and London.
International Association of Athletics Federations resident Sebastian Coe was all smiles in the Royal Box.
Lord Coe, who won gold in the 1,500 metres at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, enjoyed a chat with the Princess of Wales’ parents.
The former Conservative MP, who has four children, was joined at the event by his eldest son, Harry.
Harry has previously spoken about his desire to follow in his father’s footsteps in the world of sport.
Recently, Sebastian made headlines after declaring that female Olympians would never win a gold medal again if they had to compete against transgender athletes.
Lord Coe suggested in an interview that the gap is so wide that women competing in the Olympics would not stand a chance against trans women.
The head of the sport’s governing body, which last year announced a ban on trans women in women’s competitions, says the issue is “very clear”.
