Avid tennis fan Kate Middleton endured a cringeworthy moment at Wimbledon long before marrying Prince William, after her father’s comment to British tennis star Tim Henman
Sue Barker’s illustrious broadcasting career with the BBC placed her at the heart of all the action for almost three decades. The former French Open champion’s iconic role gave her the opportunity to interview a host of big names, from sports stars to members of the royal family.
During her work on the 2017 BBC One documentary ‘Our Wimbledon’, Barker travelled around the world to discover what makes the All England Club grass so special for tennis lovers.
That journey resulted in interviews with the Duke of Kent and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, who is a known tennis fan and is often spotted in the SW19 stands with her family.
In the latter interview, Princess Kate shared an embarrassing incident from years ago, before she had married Prince William.
She revealed how her father, Michael Middleton, once approached British tennis icon Tim Henman, confusing him with 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras.
Barker recounted the tale in her 2024 book, ‘Wimbledon: A Personal History’, which provides her perspective on the major tournament, from her days as a junior competitor to her retirement from broadcasting over half a century later in 2022.
The 69-year-old wrote: “During the filming of my Our Wimbledon documentary, I interviewed both the Duke of Kent and Catherine, now Princess of Wales.
“Catherine was so lovely to talk to too. I waited in a room in Kensington Palace with producer Carl Doran and the camera crew.
“We were all a bit on edge and then in she came and put us all at ease, even saying she was a bit nervous as she hadn’t given many interviews. (I’m sure she said that to make me feel better.)
“She was a natural in front of the camera and what came across in the interview was her obvious love for the game from an early age.
“Tennis is a family passion and the Middletons came to queue and watch Wimbledon most years. She told me how mortified she was when her father once mistook Tim Henman for Pete Sampras.
“‘My father is not going to appreciate this, but we were walking past Tim Henman and we had just seen Sampras play. And dad said very coolly, ‘Hi Pete.’ I was mortified!’”
Since that embarrassing encounter, Princess Kate has had plenty of opportunities to meet Henman and rectify her father’s past mishap.
As a regular attendee of high-profile matches, she is often seen sitting in the Royal Box. The Princess also presents the tournament’s finalists with their trophies, the most recent recipient being men’s singles champion Carlos Alcaraz in 2024.