Due to the coronavirus outbreak and the United Kingdom lockdown, it looks like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have to break their tradition. It has been a usual practice for the two duchesses to attend the Wimbledon tennis tournament together for the past couple of years, but the event gets canceled this year.
The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex might be planning to attend the tournament once again this year despite the alleged tension between the two. However, the Championships 2020 at Wimbledon is now canceled due to the fears of the coronavirus outbreak.
"This is a decision that we have not taken lightly, and we have done so with the highest regard for public health and the wellbeing of all those who come together to make Wimbledon happen," Ian Hewitt, chairman of the Main Board of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said, via CNBC. The event was supposed to be held from June 29 to July 12, but it was now moved on July 28 to July 11, 2021. Fans that already paid for their tickets in the Wimbledon Public Ballot could get their refund and buy new tickets for the game next year.
Hewitt explained that The Championships have only been interrupted by the previous World Wars, but with the current state of the country, they feel the need to cancel the event to stop the spread of the virus. Now, they are planning to use Wimbledon's resources to help those people in need.
According to Daily Express¸ Kate Middleton has been regularly attending the tennis tournament for the past eight years. Hence, she is surely devastated by its cancellation. She became the patron of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) in 2016, which she took over from Queen Elizabeth II, who used to patron the club for 64 years.
Even before becoming group's patron, Prince William's wife has been a fan of Wimbledon. Before she married the Duke of Cambridge and became an official member of the royal family, she wrote to the AELTC officials to thank them for a "wonderfully relaxed day" when she attended the tournament in 2008.
Meghan Markle also joined Kate Middleton to watch The Championships in 2018. At the time, they watched the Ladies' Singles Final together and were even seen enjoying themselves while they were chatting with each other while seating in the front row of the royal box.
Hence, they attended the same event together again last year with Kate Middleton's sister, Pippa Middleton. They watched Meghan Markle's close pal, Serena Williams, went against the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep to win the women's title. Sadly, it will never happen again this year.
