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Kate Middleton's 'silver fox' private secretary leaves royal fans swooning as he makes a fleeting appearance at Wimbledon

Kate Middleton's 'silver fox' private secretary leaves royal fans swooning as he makes a fleeting appearance at Wimbledon

Daily Mail​13-07-2025
Royal fans have gushed over the Princess of Wales 's private secretary following his appearance at Wimbledon yesterday.
Kate, 43, delighted cheering crowds as she made a surprise appearance at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London to watch the Women's Final on Saturday.
However, it wasn't just the royal who caught the public's attention, but also Kate's secretary, Lt. Col Tom White, who caused a buzz on social media, with one branding him a 'silver fox'.
Yesterday, the 36-year-old put on a smart display in a double-breasted cream blazer with a shirt and tie.
His appearance caused quite the stir online, with one writing, 'He's a Fox!'. Another added, 'I mean, Silver fox.'
A third wrote, 'Okay, but the Princess of Wales's private secretary is,' followed by eye emojis. A fourth wrote, 'Flirt mode is on.'
Tom previously served in Afghanistan and helped prevent a school bombing in Helmand.
He joined Buckingham Palace in 2020 as an equerry to the late Queen Elizabeth II, before later becoming Kate's right-hand man.
It comes after the Princess of Wales consoled a tearful Amanda Asiminova after she was thrashed in the most one-sided Wimbledon final since 1911.
Kate placed her hand on the American's arm and told her to 'keep your head high' following the 23-year-old's 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek on Centre Court in just 57 minutes.
The patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club presented the runners-up trophy to the 13th seed who struggled to contain her tears.
Anisimova had to briefly leave the court following her humbling at the hands of an inspired Swiatek, 24, as she recorded a double bagel scoreline in the women's final - the first in 114 years and for only the second time in the tournament's history.
Anisimova said meeting Kate 'was the positive of today' and told how she had been 'really kind'.
Speaking after the match, she said: 'It was such an honour to meet her. I wasn't sure if she was going to come out today, if she was going to be there, so it's just really nice to see her.
'She definitely had a few things to say that were making me emotional again.'
A tearful Anisimova wiped away tears during her post-match interview on court as she praised Swiatek and said she had 'run out of gas a bit today'.
She was playing in her first Wimbledon final and said 'she would never forget this experience'.
Anisimova broke down again as she mentioned how her mother had flew in from America this morning to watch her.
'Thank you for being here and breaking the superstition of not flying in - it isn't why I lost here,' she joked.
Anisimova: 'I know I didn't have enough today but I will keep putting in the work and I hope to be back here one day.'
A victorious Swiatek, the first Polish woman to win Wimbledon, also offered words of encouragement to Anisimova.
'First I want to congratulate Amanda for an amazing two weeks. You should be proud of the work you are doing and I hope we will play more finals here,' she said.
'I didn't even dream, for me it was way too far. I feel like I am already an experienced player after winning the Slams before but I never expected this one.
'This year I really, really enjoyed it and feel I improved my form here.
'I am always going to remember the opening of champagne bottles between serves! It is a sound that will keep me away at night!'
The only ever time there has been a 6-0, 6-0 scoreline in a Grand Slam final was in 1988 when Steffi Graf beat Natasha Zvereva in the French Open.
Belarusian Zvereva was also coincidentally the 13th seed for that tournament.
Kate had earlier arrived on court alongside chair Debbie Jevans and put on a stunning display in a cream ensemble, including a high collared belted top, flowing skirt and a £950 Anya Hindmarch tote bag.
She added a 'Wimbledon bow' to her ensemble, which features the official colours of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club - purple and green.
Before taking her seat, Kate met a string of tennis champions alongside Jevans, including Chinese wheelchair tennis player Wang Ziying.
Elsewhere, Kate beamed as she met Bob Flin, Wimbledon's longest-serving Honorary Steward, Wimbledon foundation host Shaniah Williams, as well as Jefferson Iweh, a ticket sales operator.
The Princess of Wales also met Sophie Kneen, 12, who is due to perform the coin toss at the ladies' final, and eight-year-old Lydia Lowe, who did the same at the ladies' wheelchair final.
The royal, who is making a steady return to public duties following her cancer diagnosis, was joined by legendary tennis player Billie Jean King.
Last year, the Princess presented the Wimbledon men's final trophy to Carlos Alcaraz, in her second public engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis.
The Princess of Wales's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the Royal Box on Monday, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester also in attendance.
The Queen told tennis star Novak Djokovic that she was keeping her 'fingers crossed' as she visited Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The Princess Royal's son Peter Phillips attended the championships on Wednesday, with Hugh Grant and former prime minister Sir John Major also in the Royal Box.
Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah, former footballer Ian Wright and Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins were among the notable names to attend a hot day at the world-renowned tournament today.
Kate, who has been the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016, is often tasked with handing out trophies, but it renowned for her kind gestures.
In 2023, Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur was tearful after coming runner-up in two consecutive finals, following a loss at the US Open the same year.
As the royal presented her with her runners-up prize, the two stopped to talk, with Kate offering words of encouragement and embracing the visibly distressed athlete in a break from royal protocol.
In an interview, Jabeur said: 'Obviously, she was very nice. She didn't know if she wanted to give me a hug or not. I told her hugs are always welcome from me.'
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