Who’s who in the Royal Box at Wimbledon on Day 12? Martin Freeman and Hugh Laurie lead star-studded arrivals at Centre Court – alongside Queen of fashion Anna Wintour

Hollywood stars mingled with royalty at Wimbledon today – as Prince Michael of Kent, the Earl of Snowdon joined Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Laurie and Martin Freeman for day 12 of the Championships.

Elsewhere, snagging some of the best seats at SW19 was the Queen of Fashion Anna Wintour – attending with Baz Luhrmann – alongside luxury designer Tom Ford.

Christopher Dean – of Torvill and Dean fame – was present, as well as former BBC Director General Tim Davie and presenter Louis Theroux.

And a helm of famous cricketers was also in the stands today including Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was also spotted this afternoon – as eager tennis fans showed up to watch ‘King Arthur’ Fery face off Zverev at Centre Court, marking the end of the British breakout star’s remarkable run this year.

Read on to discover who’s who in the Royal Box on the twelfth day at the Championships…

1. Hugh Laurie

Actor Hugh Laurie rose to fame as one half of double act Fry and Laurie with fellow actor and Cambridge University friend, Stephen Fry.

Well-known for his starring role as Dr. Gregory House in US medical drama House, he was listed in the 2011 Guiness World Records as the most-watched leading man on television.

Last month, he hit the headlines as he issued an apology for his scathing response to a viral review of his hit show House.

The actor was responding to freelance journalist Janet Murray who had shared her thoughts on his 2004-2012 medical drama, critiquing the show’s formulaic storylines.

Laurie, 66, replied to the online review with a lengthy response dripping in his cantankerous character Gregory House’s signature sarcasm.

But when the journalist directed followers to an article she had written about the online interaction and the trolling she had received, the Brit star apologised explaining he was ‘very slightly drunk’ when penning his original reply.

‘I’m sorry if people have been having a go at you because of my tweet,’ Laurie wrote on X. ‘Not at all the plan. I was very slightly drunk and already upset about something that had nothing to do with you.’

‘If it’s any comfort, I got it in the neck too. I’m a thin-skinned t**t, apparently, even though it wasn’t my skin. I was sticking up for the writers who I adored.’

2. and 3. Anna Wintour & Tom Ford

Fashion superstar Anna Wintour, 76, was in attendance today, along with designer Tom Ford, 64.

Anna Wintour is the global chief content officer at Condé Nast and the global editorial director of Vogue.

The British-born journalist, 76, has become an international style icon, and is the brains behind many born trends, and the Met Gala.

Wintour has gathered countless accolades and titles over the years, including a damehood in 2017 and current roles as artistic director of Vogue’s parent company Conde Nast, editor-in-chief at American Vogue and ‘global content adviser’ to the whole publishing group.

Born in London in 1949, her father was a newspaper editor and her family linked to aristocracy – she is related to the 18th Century novelist Lady Elizabeth Foster, who became the Duchess of Devonshire.

She moved to New York in her 20s – returning for a stint to edit British Vogue – and quickly rose through the ranks thanks to ‘Uncle Si’, media baron Si Newhouse, whose family has owned Conde Nast and Vogue since the 1950s.

Spending most of her time in her Manhattan home, a four-storey townhouse in Greenwich Village, Wintour also has a sprawling holiday home on Long Island’s waterfront.

Anna attended today alongside Tom Ford, who found global fame transforming Gucci in the 1990s before building his multimillion-pound eponymous empire.

4. Benedict Cumberbatch 

Representing the best of British acting talent was Benedict Cumberbatch, 49, who took in the tennis with his wife, theatre director Sophie Hunter.

The Sherlock and Doctor Strange star has become a household name thanks to his distinctive voice, piercing stare and knack for playing brilliant geniuses.

He won acclaim, and an Oscar nomination, for his portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, and continues to juggle Hollywood blockbusters with more serious stage and screen work.

Polished and low-key, Cumberbatch has long been a favourite with Wimbledon crowds.

5. Martin Freeman

54-year-old British actor Martin Freeman is adored for his roles in Sherlock, Fargo, and The Office, among other productions.

Throughout his career, Martin, from Aldershot, Hampshire, has claimed two Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. 

Despite taking on multiple meaty roles, he’s also recognised for his work in the children’s Christmas film, Nativity.

6. Louis Theroux 

Louis Theroux is an British-American journalist, host, broadcaster and documentarian.

The 56-year-old is known for his documentaries that get up close with the uncomfortable aspects of modern day life.

Earlier this year, Theroux made his first feature-length documentary for Netflix, after almost 30 years producing groundbreaking films for the BBC.

The documentary, Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere, lifted the lid on the manosphere culture and the global men’s rights movement, examining how influencers such as Andrew Tate reshape young men’s views on masculinity.

7. Earl of Snowdon

The Earl of Snowdon is the son of the late Princess Margaret, making him King Charles’s cousin.

David Armstrong Jones, as he was born, is the son and eldest child of the glamorous but turbulent marriage between Princess Margaret and society photographer David, the 1st Earl.

Known for most of his life as Viscount Linley, he became a cabinet maker and designer.

A favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, he today advises his cousin, King Charles III and is thought to be behind the King’s sharp appearance in recent months.

‘Insiders credit David Armstrong-Jones with the increasingly contemporary wardrobe – and hip accessories – sported by Charles,’ wrote Kate Mansey in The Mail on Sunday.

David, 64, was fifth in line to the throne when he was born, on November 3, 1961. Today, he is 26th in line.

The young royal spent much of his early life at Buckingham Palace, where he was close to his younger sister Lady Sarah Chatto.

They became close to their cousins in Royal Family and spent time together both at home and on holiday.

He became the 2nd Earl of Snowdon on the death of his father in 2017.

8. The Duchess of Gloucester

The Danish-born Duchess, who was Birgitte Eva van Deurs Henriksen before marrying Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester in 1972, is a huge tennis fan.

She has been an Honorary President of the Lawn Tennis Association for at least 25 years and regularly attends Wimbledon.

Birgitte, 80, married the Duke of Gloucester on July 8, 1972 at St Andrew’s Church in Barnwell, Northamptonshire.

Her husband was born Prince Richard of Gloucester and met his Danish future wife when she was studying at the Bell School of Languages, at Cambridge University, in 1965.

He was working as an architect but cut his career short when his older brother Prince William of Gloucester tragically died in a plane crash seven weeks after their marriage.

Richard then became the heir to his father, Henry, Duke of Gloucester – one of George VI’s brothers.

Prince Richard and Birgitte had not expected to embark on a life of duty but did so after their marriage when he became the heir.

They have spent 50 years as working royals and visited charities and organisations carrying out hundreds of engagements together for sectors such as humanitarian issues, the environment and veterans.

9. Tim Davie

Tim Davie was the seventeenth director general of the BBC. After going to Cambridge, he began a career in marketing before joining the BBC.

In 1993 and 1994, he unsuccessfully stood as a conservative MP in the Hammersmith and Fulham elections.

He then became the chief executive of BBC Studios and was made Director-General of the BBC in 2020. 

That same year, he set out new rules for BBC staff stating that they should withhold sharing personal views on politics on their personal social media channels.

Davie departed the BBC in April this year.

10. Brian Lara

Former cricketer Brian Lara is widely considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Hailing from Trinidad, the 57-year-old holds the titles for highest Test and first-class scores.

11. Christopher Dean

Ice skaters Christopher, 67, and his partner, Jayne Torvill, were appointed MBEs in 1981 and OBEs in 2000.

The pair won gold for skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics, then attracted fans and catapulted to fame on ITV’s Dancing on Ice.

But after 50 years, the record-breaking Olympic champions decided last year to hang up their skates.

They had long impressed audiences with their performances before winning a new legion of fans as judges on Dancing On Ice.

12. Prince Michael of Kent

Prince Michael of Kent, 83, was dapper as he enjoyed watching the tennis today. 

He is the first cousin of the late Queen and the son of George VI brother, Prince George, Duke of Kent – and is a keen tennis fan, often seen at Wimbledon.

In 2022, he and his wife revealed they are to retire from royal life, months after Michael stepped down as patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce, and handed back an Order of Friendship award, one of Russia’s highest honours.

The Queen’s first cousin is a fluent Russian speaker with a lineage to Tsar Nicholas II, was forced to sever his ties to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

According to the official Royal Family website, Prince Michael is classified as a ‘non-working royal’ and partakes in more than 200 public engagements for the not-for-profit sector, which are funded by his own household, rather than the taxpayer.

Princess Michael, who is nicknamed ‘Princess Pushy’ in some royal circles, is ‘actively involved in around 45 different charities and organisations’, according to the website, ‘including animal and wildlife trusts and health and welfare charities’.

Born in 1942, his first memorable appearance was as a five-year-old as a page boy at the Queen’s wedding to Prince Philip.

While just outside the top 50 for succession to the throne, he is often seen at the side of the Queen at family events.

He has two siblings who he is often seen with, Princess Alexandra and the Duke of Kent.

13. Sachin Tendulkar

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen in the sport’s history.

Often dubbed the ‘Master Blaster’, Mr Tendulkar holds the record for being the all-time leading run-scorer across both Test cricket and One Day International (DI) cricket.

He retired from IDI cricket in December 2012, before retiring from all forms of international cricket the following year.

He amassed a record 15,921 runs with 51 centuries in 200 tests and 18,426 runs with 49 centuries in 463 one-dayers.

Mr Tendulkar led India in 25 Tests, winning four games, losing nine and drawing 12. In ODIs, he won just 23 of 73 matches he captain with 43 lost, six no results and one tie.

14. Virgil can Dijk

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, 35, opted for a smart white suit at SW19 today as he sat in the Royal Box with his wife.

The Dutch footballer is celebrated for his defensive prowess and leadership. Born in 1991, he plays as a centre-back for Liverpool FC and the Netherlands national team.

Known for his strength and composure, van Dijk has been crucial to Liverpool’s successes, including their 2019 Champions League win, and is considered one of the top defenders in modern football.

In recent weeks, Van Dijk, captain of both Liverpool and his national team, was blamed for Netherlands’ early exit and ultra-defensive style which ‘betrays everything our national football stands for’.

15. Baz Luhrmann 

Australian film director, producer, writer and actor Baz Luhrmann were among those sat in the prestigious Royal Box today.

Dressed in a stylish all-white attire, Mr Luhrmann arrived alongside Anna Wintour for the men’s semi-finals.

Mr Luhrmann’s extensive portfolio of work includes Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet from 1996 and Moulin Rouge!

In 2016, Mr Luhrmann and his wife Catherine Martin auctioned off numerous props from their most popular films – including Australia, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby.

16. Paraag Marathe 

Chairman of Leeds United, Paraag Marathe, joined the A-Listers in the Royal Box today.

Marathe oversees the football club’s leadership team and their management of all sporting and commercial operations.

The American sports executive served as the Club’s Vice Chairman for over two years and a Board member for over five years. 

17. Damian Lewis 

Damian Lewis, 55, is a British actor best known for his work in Homeland. The actor donned a dusky blue linen suit and was all smiles as he attended day twelve of Wimbledon today.

Last month, the actor looked in great spirits as he was joined by his girlfriend Alison Mosshart at the A View From The Bridge play press night in London.

He looked incredibly dapper in a beige buttoned up blazer jacket and black T-shirt and completed the look with some black jeans and Chelsea boots as he posed with his arm around Alison.

Damian and Alison were first spotted together in the summer of 2022, with Alison’s mother Vivian giving the relationship her seal of approval soon after.

Alison, who is the lead singer for the rock bands The Kills and The Dead Weather, kept it casual in a black zip up sports hoody, adorned with white edging.

18. Deborah Jevans

As Chair of the AELTC, Deborah Jevans was sat front and centre of the Royal Box. 

The British former tennis player Ms Jevans CBE has been at the hallowed location numerous times, as a former junior Wimbledon champion.

She also played ten times in the women’s singles (between 1979 and 1983). Her best result was reaching the fourth round, when she lost to fifth-seeded Virginia Wade.

Ms Jevans also played in the doubles event, reaching the quarter finals of the mixed doubles event in 1978, playing with her future husband and Wimbledon referee Andrew Jarrett.

She became the first chairwoman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Board in 2023, succeeding Ian Hewitt.

In 2013, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours due to her services to Sport and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, when she served as director of sports for the event.

19. Roy Colabawalla 

Roy Colabawalla is the Corporate Partner at Sydney Mitchell LLP and president of the Lawn Tennis Association.

The Sydney Mitchell partner was appointed youngest president in Lawn Tennis Association history earlier this year.

20. Brian Vahaly

Brian Vahaly is the former world 57 in tennis, reaching his career high in March 2003.

The sporting star, 44, began playing tennis at just the age of two with his parents. Clearly the practice paid off, and he claimed wins against the likes of Juan Carlos Ferrero, Michael Chang and Fernando Gonzalez.

In 2017, he came out as gay, a decade after he was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury. He had been dating a woman for two years while on the ATP tour.

The following year, he was described as a ‘gay tennis trailblazer’ by The Telegraph, due to very few players in the sport being openly out.

Vahaly is happily married to his husband Bill, and the two are raising twin boys, Parker and Bennett.

He told The Telegraph previously: ‘My exposure to the gay community had always been very limited and what I knew of it I didn’t connect to. Until I retired I just didn’t allow myself to explore my sexuality.

‘No one would have known what to do with me. It could have potentially impacted sponsorships.’

He added: ‘I heard homophobic comments all the time in the locker room – to my face, behind my back. That was just a part of the culture.’

21. Paul Beattie

Paul Beattie is a senior Royal Navy Officer, and currently serves as Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.

22. & 23. Cian and Jordan Adams

Cian and Jordan, known as the FTD brothers, have just completed 33 marathons in 33 days. 

The first was the London Marathon, which Jordan ran with a 25kg fridge on his back, while the rest were around our 32 counties.

Running back-to-back marathons across such an extended period is a feat of extreme endurance but the motivation behind their odyssey is deeply personal – and urgent.

Both 25-year-old Cian and 31-year-old Jordan carry the MAPT gene mutation responsible for frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Their mother Geraldine was diagnosed with early-onset FTD in 2010, and died six years later, aged only 52.

Jordan is engaged in a literal run against time. He has run the London Marathon twice, done seven marathons in seven days in their hometown of Redditch, and run from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall hoping to save himself and his younger brother from the disease.

24. Surinder Arora

Surinder Arora is the British-Indian founder and Chairman of the Arora Group. 

His LinkedIn profile explains: ‘Having arrived in the UK as a teenager from India, Surinder founded the business in 1999, running a luxurious four-star hotel at Heathrow for airline staff. 

‘From there, he built a business based on strong principles of enterprise, including the purchase of the Renaissance London Heathrow hotel in 2012, where he had worked as a waiter in the 1970s.

‘Today, the Arora Group is a successful private group of UK-focused companies with specialist property, construction and hotel development and management divisions.’

25. Mark Precious

Another athlete sitting in one of the sought-after spots in the Royal Box today was Mark Precious, a former student at University College in Oxford.

The former field hockey player won the bronze medal with the British team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Arnaud Boetsch

Arnaud Boetsch is the Director of Communication & Image at Rolex and a former professional French tennis player.

Pat Cash

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, who reached a career-high in 1988 when he ranked No. 4 in the world, observed the action from the Royal Box today.

Based mainly in London, the 61-year-old grandfather works as a coach, commentator, plays seniors’ events and even became an ambassador for Advanced Hair Studios. 

Ross Garrod

Ross Garrod is the Leader of Merton Council in southwest London.

His page on the Labour website reads: ‘As Leader of the Council, Ross has led the Council’s investment into Merton’s towns and green spaces, the programme of support during the cost of living crisis, protection of essential local services, and the ambition for Merton to become London’s Borough of Sport. 

‘Coming from the borough has instilled in him a great pride for the community, and a drive to make Merton better for everyone.’

Shubman Gill

Indian cricket captain Shubman Gill also took his seat in the prestigious royal box, thereby becoming the fourth Indian cricket captain to receive the honour.

Mr Gill was appointed as the nation’s Test captain in May 2025 after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the sport.

As the 37th man to take on cricket’s toughest job, Mr Gill is said to go by ‘Prince’. The moniker even appears on the sticker of his MRF-sponsored bat.

At the age of 12, Gill was batting in the nets near the Mohali Test stadium when a coach who was organising a pace-bowling programme and in need of batsmen to face his young charges, stopped to watch.

He was impressed with what he saw, and Gill was soon in the Punjab age-group system, scoring 351 in an opening stand of 587 against Amritsar, and 268 in his fourth first-class game in the Ranji Trophy against Tamil Nadu. Aged 19, in an A-team Test against West Indies in Trinidad, he made 204 not out.

Julia Gillard

Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard took her seat in the royal box, of which she is a regular attendee.

Ms Gillard, who served as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, became the first and, to date, the only woman to hold both the offices of Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

Ironically, Gillard was in fact born in Barry, Wales, the filming location for the iconic British sitcom Gavin and Stacey.

She moved to live in Adelaide with her family in 1966.

Last year, she opened up to the BBC about how her Welsh upbringing helped her develop her view of politics.

‘We always had this sense that our lives were formed in Australia, but we knew we had this heritage,’ Gillard told the outlet, speaking on her Welsh heritage.

Burke Magnus 

ESPN executive Burke Magnus is president of programming and content at the company.

As the ‘voice’ of tennis for more than 30 years at ESPN, he served as a tennis commentator for the network during their first ever tennis telecast.

A deal signed in 2021 means that ESPN hold exclusive rights to the tournament up until 2035.

At the time, Mr Magnus said of the news: ‘Wimbledon is a tentpole event on the global sports calendar and the ESPN schedule, and we will continue to use all our resources to present the drama, tradition and stories of Wimbledon to fans in all ways possible.’

Dame Sharon Nesmith 

General Dame Sharon Nesmith is a senior British Army officer who has served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff since June 2024, after previously serving as Deputy Chief of the General Staff from August 2022 to August 2024.

In 2014, she became the first woman to command a British Army brigade before later becoming the first woman to command a British division-level formation in 2021.

Ms Nesmith, who is married to a Tree Surgeon and has two young sons, joined the Royal Corps of Signals in 1992.

She spent the first few years of her career in Germany, serving in the Electronic Warfare Regiment, the 1st Armoured Division Headquarters and Signal regiment, during which time she completed three tours in the Balkans.

In 2010 she commanded 215 Signal Squadron while on Operation Telic 10 in Iraq.

She later commanded 22nd Signal Regiment and afterwards was promoted to Colonel.

Lord Vallance of Balham

Sir Patrick Vallance was the government’s chief scientific adviser from 2018 until he stepped down in 2023.

The University of London educated physicist became a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he would give regular press conferences alongside then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The 66-year-old has also worked for GlaxoSmithKline and for various universities, including working as head of medicine at University College London’s medical school from 2002-2006.

Last year, Patrick Vallance gave evidence to the Covid inquiry after he faced accusations of rubbishing claims in a dossier which warned the virus was engineered in a facility.

It also emerged Lord Vallance has continued to downplay the theory for long after the pandemic. Transcripts show he told MPs on the science committee in 2023 it ‘is very, very, very unlikely’ the virus came from a lab.

It has also emerged he collaborated on a paper which stifled debate into the origins of Covid in the early days of the pandemic – despite being aware the lab leak theory was possible.

C. S. Venkatakrishnan

Barclays CEO C.S. Vebjatakrishnan took his seat at the Royal Box today.

Mr Venkatakrishnan is a regular attendee of the Wimbledon Championships, with Barclays having served as an official partner of the tournament since 2023.

He recently said of the Wimbledon partnership: ‘Our partnership with Wimbledon unites two iconic British institutions.

‘The support we will give to grassroots tennis, via the Wimbledon Foundation, is a core component of our sponsorship, and sits alongside our extensive investment in grassroots and women’s football.’

Barry Weatherill

Taking his seat in the royal box was the former Chairman of the Council of International Lawn Tennis Clubs, Barry Weatherill.

Mr Weatherill, who stood down from the position in 2012 after 22 years, has previously spoken of his ‘abiding passion’ for the sport.

‘There are few things more enjoyable than to meet and play tennis with players from around the world in a spirit of competitive friendliness,’ he previously disclosed to the IC.

Ken Weatherley

Ken Weatherley, 76, is a former pro tennis player. After a decorated career, he founded the charity Tennis First which helps to fund young budding talent.

He was one of the people who got funding for current tennis star Emma Raducanu.

Richard Stoakes

Richard Stoakes is listed as a director of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) – a private members’ club.

The Princess of Wales has been a patron of it since 2016.

John Dunningham

Mr Dunningham is a board member of All England Lawn Tennis Club Club and vice president of the IC of Great Britain.

In 2010, he was made an OBE for voluntary service to tennis.