Royal Box, Centre Court
The Royal Box is a seating area of the Centre Court tennis court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London. The box has historically been associated with the British royal family. Guests are invited by the All England Club to sit in the box during the Wimbledon Championships, the third annual Grand Slam event.
The box is located on the south side of the Centre Court tennis court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London. The box has been present at Centre Court since it was built in 1922 when the All England Club moved to their new 13 acre ground on Wimbledon Park Road. The box was rebuilt in 2002. Prior to 1922 the Committee Box of the All England Club's former home at Worple Road was used when royalty were in attendance. The Royal Box had 74 seats in 2019.
The Wimbledon Compendium describe the guests of the Royal Box as people from "the tennis world, including supporters of British tennis, individuals of distinction and others who in various ways contribute to the betterment of our lives and society" with Wimbledon's official website describing the guests as "British and overseas Royal Families ... heads of government, people from the world of tennis, commercial partners, British armed forces, prominent media organisations, ... and other walks of life". The box was rebuilt in 2002. Guests are invited by the Chair of the Club and the Committee of Management. The guests sit on green Lloyd Loom chairs in the Royal Box. 250 steel tumblers were ordered for the Royal Box for the 2019 championships, but a significant number were stolen by guests and additional tumblers had to be ordered by the club. The 'goody bag' for the 2019 championships included "branded toiletries, Wimbledon chocolates, mints and a fan". An open free bar is available to guests in the royal box, with an early lunch starting at 11:30 am before the first play at 1pm.
The dress code required for the Royal Box is smart with a "lounge suit/blazer and tie for gentlemen and afternoon dress or elegant trouser suit for ladies". Women are asked not to wear hats, as they could obscure the views of people seated behind them. In 2015 Lewis Hamilton was refused entry to the box after falling afoul of the dress code having arrived wearing a "tie-less floral print shirt, chinos and a fedora". He refused the offer of a tie and blazer jacket and left 20 minutes after he had arrived.