Kate, the Princess of Wales, is a big fan of tennis but has stopped playing in recent years.

The royal, 42, has historically attended Wimbledon alongside her husband, Prince William, and occasionally their young children. But what many Britons may not know is that she has also participated in the sport herself as a keen player, and once even faced off against eight-time trophy holder Roger Federer.

Despite being a regular player, the royal ultimately put her passion for the sport on the back burner for one specific reason. She revealed she was too busy for tennis due to her growing family while addressing fans not long after her youngest child, Prince Louis, was born in 2018.

During a visit to Bond Primary School in Mitcham, South London, where she watched training overseen by the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative, she told pupils it is more difficult to set time aside as “I’ve got lots of babies”. She said: “I love tennis, I think it’s a great sport, I was really sporty when I was little, less so now that I’ve got lots of babies!”

While the Princess is not as sporty as she once was, she has still managed to find time for tennis since 2018, having participated in high-profile matches. In 2023, she appeared alongside Roger Federer for a video where the two joined training for Wimbledon ball boys and girls.

The two participated in a charity event to raise funds for Action for Children and the Lawn Tennis Association Foundation, of which the Princess is a Patron, where they were joined by underprivileged children. The two starred in a video that saw Princess Kate sporting a white tennis kit and greeting Federer on the court before they entered a tennis match.

Federer said: “Shall we play some tennis?”, with the Princess responding: “Yes, please.” The two then participate in a few sets before the two watch the boys and girls run in to retrieve the balls. They then participate in the day’s training.

Kate was full of praise for the youngsters, saying it was “incredible” to see them work behind the scenes. She said: “To see the training and the dedication and the amount of time that is put into the training and making sure this goes well on the day for the champions who are playing at Wimbledon. Yeah, it’s incredible to see it behind the scenes.”