Arthur Fery was given a surprise greeting by the Queen as he prepared to enter centre court for the biggest match of his career.
The young Briton appeared to be tying his shoelaces while alongside his opponent Flavio Cobolli in the players’ entrance when Camilla walked up behind him.
As Fery stood up and turned around, he faced the Queen who shook his hand. Fery could be heard saying: ‘Nice to meet you.’
The royal blessing is part of the whole new world for the breakout tennis star, who has truly made a mark during the Championships this year.
For viewers at home this Wimbledon fortnight, it must appear as though Arthur Fery has dropped from the clear-blue sky.
Barely known outside British tennis circles, the 23-year-old had only two Tour-level wins in his life before the grass season began – a total he has more than quadrupled in less than a month.
In beating Grigor Dimitrov on his Centre Court debut on Monday, he became the first wildcard in more than a decade to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
Fery’s leap from outside the top 150 to – at a minimum – 63rd in the world may have happened in the blink of an eye, but he has been preparing for this all his life.
It follows an upbringing as the son of high-achieving parents, an early life playing every sport under the sun, a brief addiction to cliff diving and a refusal to be defined by his stature.
And as he faces off Flavio Cobolli, he is cheered on by some very famous faces.
It was a royal affair at Wimbledon this afternoon, as the Queen enjoyed a day out with her younger sister Annabel Elliot, alongside newlyweds Peter and Harriet Phillips.
Camilla, 78, looked chic in a cerulean Anna Valentine dress – the same one she wore to the Ascot races last month – as she took in the action at SW19 on Day 10 of the championship.
Arthur Fery was given a surprise greeting by the Queen as he prepared to enter Centre Court for the biggest match of his career
As Fery stood up after tying his shoelaces, he found himself in front of the Queen, who shook his hand. Fery could be heard saying: ‘Nice to meet you.
It’s a tradition for the sisters, who go to the sporting event nearly each year, to sit front and centre in the Royal Box.
Annabel, 77, channeled tennis whites in an ivory frock, standing by her sister as she was greeted by The All England Lawn Tennis Club Chair Deborah Jevans.
The King’s wife was all smiles as she greeted former British number one Heather Watson, as well as Ball Boy Zebedee, 15, and Ball Girl Aniya, 15.
She also spoke to Morag Ranford, who has spent 50 years working at Wimbledon in the press operations team, and Peter Dobson – who is this year retiring after 25 years of working as Safety Officer at the Championships.
Elsewhere, the Queen also met with Richard Gammage, CEO of City Harvest a charity tackling food waste.
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, 48, meanwhile, looked dapper in a light-grey blazer and navy trousers, while his wife Harriet, 45, stunned in a £1,330 checked lime-and-blue ensemble from Emilia Wickstead.
It’s been a busy social calendar for the couple – who tied the knot in June – as they also joined the King and Queen for Ascot last month.
The Queen was joined by her sister, right, in the Royal Box for Day 10 of Wimbledon, alongside The All England Lawn Tennis Club Chair Deborah Jevans
Camilla and Deborah Jevans looked to be in high spirits as she took in the action
It was a royal affair as Wimbledon, as the Queen enjoyed a day out with her sister Annabel Elliot, who she is known to share a close bond
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips looked dapper in a light-grey blazer and navy trousers, while his wife Harriet stunned in a £1,330 checked lime and blue ensemble from Emilia Wickstead
The pair held an ‘intimate’ wedding ceremony in the Cotswolds, in front of the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
The bride looked resplendent in a white Emilia Wickstead gown and the Pragnell family tiara – and the pair were the picture of wedded bliss as they sealed their marriage with a kiss outside All Saints Church.
Harriet’s wedding train was held by her three bridesmaids, her daughter Georgina, 14, and Peter’s children, Isla, 14, and Savannah, 15, with former wife Autumn Kelly – who all looked elegant in floral garlands and matching white dresses from the same designer.
And last week, Tatler crowned them ‘the new royal couple to watch’.
Yesterday, Camilla was out and about in East Sussex, as she visited Ashdown Forest near Hartfield to commemorate 100 years since the publication of the first Winnie The Pooh book in 1926.
Ashdown Forest was the inspiration for the original Hundred Acre Wood and former home of author, A. A. Milne.
The royal, who is Patron of the Royal Literary Fund, spoke with well-wishers and local school children at the event, as she was joined by TV presenter Gyles Brandreth, who gave a reading.
Later, she was praised as a ‘real character’ and a ‘lovely lady’ after dropping in at a nearby pub in Plumpton.
The 78-year-old visited The Half Moon Pub – which serves British classics and also doubles as a campsite – in the village where she grew up.
The Queen was all smiles as she greeted former British number one Heather Watson, as well as Ball Boy Zebedee, 15, and Ball Girl Aniya, 15 (pictured)
Camilla greeted other guests as she attended today
Camilla, pictured with Wimbledon’s Deborah Jevans, was at the event with her sister, who is seen walking behind the Queen
It’s been a busy social calendar for the couple – who tied the knot in June – as they also joined the King and Queen for Ascot last month
Last week, Tatler crowned Peter and Harriet as ‘the new royal couple to watch’
Camilla was raised at Plumpton’s The Laines, the seven-bedroom property she once described as ‘perfect in every way’.
‘Lovely to have Queen Camilla for lunch today,’ the Facebook post for the pub read, before a later comment added, ‘A real character and lovely to welcome her. Such a lovely lady!’
King Charles’s wife, dressed in a bottle green floral dress, was pictured smiling alongside two staff members.
Social media users took to the comments section to share their thoughts, with one writing: ‘Terrific! Home again!’
A second said: ‘I saw the helicopter in the front field of the college as I drove past; I wondered who it was. Congratulations, very cool.’
‘Got stopped by a police motorbike just before the pub and I thought in my head it must be the Queen,’ said another.
And today, Camilla was all smiles as she joined her sister – who she is known to share a close bond with – for Wimbledon.
In December 2024, the Queen’s sister was full of praise for her sibling and described her as the King’s ‘rock’ for a BBC One royal documentary following Charles’s first year as monarch, Charles III: The Coronation Year.
Annabel, who acted as one of her sister’s two Ladies in Attendance on the day of the Coronation, added: ‘She is his rock, and I can’t actually emphasise that enough.
‘She’s somebody who is completely loyal and she isn’t somebody who has huge highs and lows.’
But she stressed that it wasn’t a one-sided relationship, explaining: ‘He brings to her everything. I’m not talking about all of this [she said, referring to Buckingham Palace], but… he has such a knowledge and interest in so many different things, which she wouldn’t really have been open to if she hadn’t met him.
‘They are yin and yang, really. They really are polar opposites. But I think it works brilliantly.’
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