Princess of Wales returns to Wimbledon as organisers close queue after weather warnings
The Princess of Wales will return to Wimbledon to watch the ladies’ singles final after organisers closed the queue following weather warnings.
Kate will be back at Centre Court to watch Czech player Marketa Vondrousova take on Tunisian Ons Jabeur at 2pm.
Fans watching outside at Wimbledon could face thundery showers from 1pm, according to the Met Office.
The forecaster said there could also be light showers throughout Saturday morning and there is a yellow weather warning for wind.
Organisers announced on Friday that the queue would be closed for the penultimate day of the tournament due to the yellow warning.
They apologised “for any disappointment” and urged visitors to dress appropriately and “come prepared for the inclement weather”.
On Saturday morning, Wimbledon tweeted a reminder: “Please remember the Queue is not in operation today and as such there are no tickets available for sale.
“We ask that you do not travel to Wimbledon today unless you are an existing ticket holder.”
Kathy Yates, 54, and her son Daniel Yates, 27, were turned away at the gates when they tried to queue for ground passes on Saturday.
The pair had taken a flight from Aberdeen and stayed in a hotel on Friday night for a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to watch the tournament.
Ms Yates said: “We have spent well over £300. Two of our other family members have got tickets in the ballot.
“We all came down together. We have been queuing since 7am this morning.
“We have been planning for this for a long time. We don’t often get together. I have one son who lives in Edinburgh.
“We made this as a family get-together and half the family can get in and half the family can’t.”
Tiago Veloso, 48, and his 15-year-old son Vincente arrived at Wimbledon at around 8am to queue for tickets.
Mr Veloso said: “We came yesterday. It was terrible weather. The rain cancelled all the games and we came today to see the ground games, the under-14s and juniors, because (my son) wanted to watch.
“I don’t understand, yesterday was the worst of the weather. I don’t understand the decision.
“It is a very frustrating morning. We had a lot of expectations because the weather yesterday was terrible and we were not expecting this today.”
Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey previously told the PA news agency: “There is a (yellow wind warning) on Saturday covering Wimbledon and may well impact the competition.
“That will bring blustery conditions and, again, rain and showers are expected.”
The yellow weather warning is in place from 9am to 11.59pm on Saturday.
As a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Kate is a regular face at SW19.
She also had a rain-hit visit on the tournament’s second day, when she took shelter under an umbrella on Court 18, where she was watching British number one Katie Boulter.
In the afternoon, she took her seat in the Royal Box in Centre Court where she was joined by former champion Roger Federer.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…