Hugh Grant falls asleep inside royal box near Queen Camilla during Wimbledon appearance

Sky News AU

5 days ago

Hugh Grant may have blown his chances of ever returning to the royal box at Wimbledon after appearing to fall asleep in his chair just inches away from Queen Camilla.
The oak-lined royal box was established in 1922 and has played host to a glittering array of royals, celebrities and dignitaries in its century-long history.
But the exclusive box, which seats around 80 people, also comes with rules, including a strict dress code enforced by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Entry to the section at the south end of Centre Court is by invitation only, with the Chair of the All England Club officially in charge of seating assignments in the box.
Nevertheless, the royal family is understood to hold significant sway about who makes the cut, especially on days when senior royals are planning to attend matches.
On Wednesday, Camilla made her first appearance at the 2025 Grand Slam and watched on as Serbia's Novak Djokovic defeated Italy's Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinal.
The Queen was seated next to All England Lawn Tennis Club Chair Deborah Jevans during the appearance, while Bridget Jones star Hugh Grant and his wife Anna sat in the row behind.
At one point, Grant appeared to doze off behind his sunglasses and slumped to one side in his chair.
Meanwhile, on court Djokovic made history as the second man in the Open era to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals aged 38 or older.
The first player to achieve this feat was Aussie great Ken Rosewall, who made it all the way to the final at the All England club aged 39 in 1974.
Grant's naptime comes as the legendary grass tournament prepares to wrap up on the weekend after a fortnight of vintage tennis and a myriad of royal appearances.
This year, the likes of Princess Beatrice, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duchess of York and the Duchess of Gloucester have all graced the royal box.
Princess Catherine, who serves as patron for the tennis club, is also widely tipped to hand over the winner's trophies as usual this weekend as she steadily returns to royal duties.