Who’s who in the Royal Box at Wimbledon on Day Nine? Benedict Cumberbatch and Lady Sarah Chatto are joined by Sir Clive Alderton and Judy Murray for day nine on centre court

Wimbledon tennis veterans and television stars mingled with royalty as they took their seats in the Royal Box on Day Nine of Wimbledon today. 

Sat alongside Princess Margaret’s daughter Lady Sarah Chatto was acclaimed actor and Sherlock Holmes chair Benedict Cumberbatch, ready to view a day of fast-paced action at SW19. 

Elsewhere, former tennis player and Wimbledon champion Deborah Jevans basked in the atmosphere of the event, while athlete Anthea Stewart also reminisced on her time on the Wimbledon pitch.

Sir Clive Alderton, a former diplomat who has worked as King Charles’s Private Secretary since 2006, also took his seat in the prestigious Royal Box – as did Shirley Botchwey, the Commonwealth Secretary-General.

They were joined by American actress Arden Cho, who voices lead character Rumi in Netflix show KPop Demon Hunters, a show beloved by 11-year-old Princess Charlotte.

The President of Emirates and paralympic gold medallist Ed Fuller enjoyed the best seats on Centre Court today, alongside tennis royalty Judy Murray. 

Read on to learn who’s who in the Royal Box on the ninth day at the Championships…

1. 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.

2.Lady Sarah Chatto

Mother-of-two Lady Sarah is the only daughter of the late Princess Margaret and her former husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, who passed away in 2017.

Sarah Chatto was born in 1964 — the last royal baby born at a palace rather than a hospital — within weeks of cousins Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and James Ogilvy.

Both her parents passed on their artistic eye to their children as Sarah, now a painter, and her brother David were taken around galleries in their youth.

Sarah went on to complete a foundation course at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, followed by a printed textiles course at Middlesex Polytechnic, paving the way for her training at the Royal Academy Schools.

Working as a painter under the professional name Sarah Armstrong-Jones, she has since exhibited at galleries including The Redfern Gallery in London.

Her wedding to Daniel Chatto in July 1994 was such a short, simple affair that chauffeurs were caught by surprise: the Queen, Prince Philip and Princess Diana waited at the City church of St Stephen’s Walbrook after the service for their cars to come back.

While the Chatto’s are not at the centre of the working royals, they have attended major royal events over the years, including the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September, Royal Ascot, Trooping the Colour, as well as the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The late Queen was described as a ‘surrogate mother’ to Sarah and her brother, and was particularly close to Lady Sarah, who was thought to remind Her Majesty of her late sister.

3. 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.

4. Judy Murray

One of the most famous tennis coaches in the country, Judy Murray is the mother to Andy – one of the UK’s most successful ever players, and Jamie Murray. 

The Scottish born sportswoman is grandmother to Andy’s four children – three girls and a boy – with his wife Kim, and to Jamie and his wife Alejandra’s daughter.

She recently told The Daily Mail that the idea of ageing doesn’t faze her as she invests in a ‘youthful outlook’ on life.

‘I think you have to accept it’, she said. ‘It is part of ageing. I’ve read up a lot on, you know, between 60 and 70. 

‘It is really important to work on retaining your strength, for example, because if you want to be active between 70 and 80, you need to invest that time now.’

5. Clive Alderton

Sir Clive Alderton has been a trusted advisor to King Charles and Queen Camilla since 2006. 

He is holding the role alongside Sir Edward Young, who also served as the Queen’s Private Secretary.

Sir Clive, a former diplomat, is known for his love of culture, his intelligence and his sense of humour.

The trusted courtier once held a Foreign Office role, living in various countries at the start of his career including Singapore, Poland and France.

In 2006, Sir Clive landed the role of deputy Private Secretary to then Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and, promoted to Private Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to their Royal Highnesses three years later, becoming ambassador to Mauritania and Morocco.

Since 2015, when he became Charles’ Principal Private Secretary, he’s been a constant by his side.

6. 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.

7. Chris Harrop

Previously Bain & Company adviser partner and company veteran, Chris Harrop is a self-proclaimed ‘tennis nut’; who took on the role as chair of Tennis Australia at the end of last year, succeeding Jayne Hrdlicka.

Within his role, he seeks to help build participation and support for tennis across Australia.

8. Ana Paula Assis

Taking her seat in the royal box was Ana Paula Assis, Senior Vice President and Chair for IBM Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

IMB has served as the official technology partner of the Wimbledon Championships since 1990, helping to share ‘the drama and excitement of Wimbledon’ with more than 20million individuals across the globe. 

9. Shirley Botchwey

Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey joined A-listers and royalty in Wimbledon’s Royal Box today.

Ms Botchwey, formerly Ghana’s foreign minister, was appointed by Commonwealth members in 2024 to take on the role of the seventh secretary general in October 2024.

She is the first woman from Africa to hold this prestigious office.

As part of her role, Ms Botchwey helps execute strategic policies and decisions agreed upon by the Commonwealth Heads of Government, while also championing key policies shared across all 56 nations. 

10. Arden Cho

KPop Demon Hunters voice star Arden Cho took her seat to enjoy the action in Wimbledon’s Royal Box.

The American actress is best known for starring as the voice of Rumi (lead vocalist and leader of pop group Huntrix) in the Netflix series beloved by young Princess Charlotte.

Ivy Brown, from Wokingham in Berkshire, sent a letter to the young princess asking if she had watched the ‘best movie ever’ referring to the number one film about a Korean pop band who fight evil spirits. .

She received a response from The Palace’s Head of Correspondence, who told her that her ‘generous words of support for Princess Charlotte were greatly appreciated’, according to The Sun.

The letter also revealed that a song from the film, called Golden, had been played during Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

‘The Prince and Princess of Wales would have me thank you for your lovely letter to their daughter, Princess Charlotte.

‘It was interesting to learn a little about yourself, and your generous words of support for Princess Charlotte were greatly appreciated,’ the letter, dated September 25, read.

‘You may be interested to know that “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters has been played during Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace.’

11. Bernadine Evaristo 

Sat among those in the Royal Box was English author Bernadine Evaristo, who was awarded an OBE on the late Queen’s birthday honours list in 2022. 

Her novel Girl, Woman, Other, won the Booker Prize in 2019 alongside Margaret Attwood’s The Testaments.

Such accolade made Ms Evaristo, 67, the first Black woman and the first Black British author to win the Booker Prize.

She now serves as a Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University of London and a Visiting Professor of Creative Media at the University of Oxford. 

12. Ed Fuller

Paralympic champion Ed Fuller who won gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was one of several sporting stars who appeared in the Royal Box today.

Aged just 23, Ed won in the PR3 mixed coxed four after overcoming an injury.

In 2023, he also won gold at the World Rowing Championships in Serbia. 

13. Sir Tim Clark

Sir Timothy Clark, President of Dubai-based airline Emirates, is a frequent guest in the Wimbledon Royal Box to represent the company, who are an official Airline Partner of the sporting tournament. 

Last year, he was seen posing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio for images in the Emirates suite, alongside other A-list stars including Louis Theroux and comedian Rob Beckett. 

Having taken on the role of President in 2003, Sir Tim has been at the forefront of leading the company to its global success.  

14. Anthony Scaramucci 

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci spent just 10 days working for President Donald Trump as the White House Communications Director in 2017.

He now presents The Rest Is Politics US podcast, where he shares his views on the US President’s administration.

Mr Scaramucci claims that the President fired him after he disagreed with him on national security policy.

‘I was the first person on Wall Street to offer Trump support, but it became impossible [to continue supporting him], and I said, for my family, for my country, I have to speak out against what he’s doing,’ he recalled on Welcome to MAGAland.

‘Six years later, and I said if he returned to the presidency, he would wreak havoc on the global economy. He would try to pull us away from our allies. He would certainly hurt the cause of freedom in Ukraine, which he has done, and it would be a nightmare for all of us.’

The investor soured on Trump after his stint in the White House, and went on to support Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in the 2024.

Trump has long rubbished Scaramucci’s claims about him, suggesting that his former aide is bitter and that he has an ax to grind.

15. 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.

16. Philip Brook

Philip Brook is the former All England Club Chairman, who stepped down from the role in 2019.

‘It is my intention to step down at the AGM in 2019 and therefore, if re-elected at this year’s AGM, I expect to serve only one year of my three year term,’ he said at the time.

‘Regarding the election of my successor, the process will take place after the Australian Open and we expect to be able to announce the proposed new Chairman by mid-March at the latest, thereby allowing a period of around eight or nine months working together before I hand over the reins in December 2019.’

The current Chair is Debbie Jevans.

17. Trevor Nunn

Acclaimed theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn has held a number of pivotal roles in the acting world, from directing Royal Shakespeare Company to the Royal National Theatre.

Nunn, 86, who was knighted in 2002, currently works at Theatre Royal Haymarket.

In 2010 he was involved in a row with West End producer Sir Cameron Macintosh over his anniversary production of Les Miserables, first staged by Nunn in 1985.

At the time Sir Trevor confessed: ‘We are profoundly unhappy and we feel profoundly betrayed.’

The feud was reignited once more in 2019 when Sir Mackintosh revived it again, calling the show a ‘new production’ despite using the publicity material from Sir Trevor’s 1985 version.

Other famous shows under his belt include Macbeth, and musicals such as Cats (1981).

In 2008, The Telegraph named him as among the most influential people in British culture, and he is the past winner of two Tony Awards and a Laurence Olivier award for his directorial work.

Trevor Nunn has been married three times and has five children. In 2011, he briefly dated Nancy Dell’Olio, who dated England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

18. Vanshika Goenka Misra 

Vanshika Goenka Misra is the CEO of Christy Welspun. Welspun, a textiles company started by her father in the 1980s in India, has over years become a global force to be reckoned with.

Welspun is the parent company of towel manufacturer Christy.

As reported by The National News, Vanshika married Aneesh Misra in a lush UAE wedding at Dubai’s Raffles The Palm Dubai in 2022.

Speaking to the outlet, Ayman Gharib, managing director at the hotel, said at the time: ‘I believe this would be the biggest wedding Dubai would have hosted this year.

‘We had 700 guests flying from all over the world. The most prominent business figures in the world were attending amongst other celebrity guests and performers.’ 

19. Vinai Venkatesham 

Vinai Venkatesham is the Arsenal chief executive – who in September announced he is walking away from his role next summer after 14 years at the club.

He took on the role of head of global partnerships in 2010 before scaling the Gunners hierarchy to becoming one of the most crucial pieces in the first team puzzle.

Arsenal confirmed he will leave in the summer of 2024 in search of a ‘new challenge’, with Arsenal already working to find his successor.

‘This was a tough decision, but it is time to pursue another challenge,’ Venkatesham said.

‘Now is not the time for goodbyes as I remain focused until my last day and supporting a seamless transition.’

20. John Feaver 

Former British player John Feaver, 74, played thirteen consecutive Wimbledon Championships and is best known for his prowess on grass and clay courts.

For more than 20 years, he had held the record for most aces served in a Wimbledon match – 42 – against John Newcombe.