After 64 years as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which hosts the Wimbledon championships, the Queen will reportedly pass the role this year to the Duchess of Cambridge, a keen tennis player and fan of the game.
THE Queen has chosen Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge to take over from her as Wimbledon patron, in the year that she turns 90.
The Duchess – who has long been an avid player and tennis fan, and has attended numerous matches with Prince William over the years – will assume the role this summer, The Sunday Times reports.
THE QUEEN is to hand over two of her most high-profile patronages to the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, in the latest sign that she is reducing her workload as she approaches her 90th birthday.
Prince Harry will replace his grandmother as patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the governing body of rugby union in England. She has held the role for 65 years.
The Queen is understood to be assessing how much time she can now devote to the 628 organisations and charities to which she is affiliated. Aides have described her 90th birthday in April as a “game changer”.
Additonally, Catherine The Duchess of Cambridge has given her first solo television interview for a programme marking the Queen’s life and reign.
Kate and other senior members of the Royal Family are paying tribute to the Queen for the ITV programme, due to be screened in the spring to celebrate her 90th birthday.
The film, which has the working title The Queen At Ninety, also includes contributions from many key figures in the Queen’s life, including the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and William, along with other national and international figures.
Film crews were given access to the Queen as she worked last year and to other members of the monarchy.
Nick Kent, an executive producer from Oxford Film and Television which is making the two-hour programme, said: “We’ve been fortunate to have the participation of so many members of the Royal Family to mark this historic milestone in the life of the Queen.
“It’s a remarkable story of an extraordinary life which in so many ways reflects the changing face of the nation.”
Jo Clinton-Davis, ITV’s controller of factual, who co-commissioned the programme, said: “As she reaches her 90th birthday, this film aims to offer a fresh insight into our monarch’s life and work.”
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