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Tennis: Queen Elizabeth stands down as All England Club patron
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 [December 21, 2016]
LONDON (Reuters) - Queen
Elizabeth has relinquished her role as patron of the All England
Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), home of the Wimbledon championships, after
64 years and will be replaced by The Duchess of Cambridge, a
statement from the club said on Tuesday.
The long-serving British monarch, who turned 90 in April, memorably
presented the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy to home favorite Virginia
Wade after she won the women's singles title in 1977, the Queen's
Silver Jubilee year.
She did not return until 2010 when British player Andy Murray bowed
three times in front of Centre Court's Royal Box after speculation
that the patriotic Scot would not do so.
"I only saw a replay of the second one when I was warming down. It
looked a little bit awkward, but I am not used to doing it," Murray
said at the time.
On that occasion the Queen also chatted to a selection of former
champions including Roger Federer and Venus and Serena Williams.
"We would like to thank Her Majesty for her long and unwavering
service to The Club and The Championships during her time as our
Patron," AELTC chairman Philip Brook said.
"It was a great honor to welcome Her Majesty to Wimbledon in 2010
and we remain immensely proud of her role in the history of The Club
and The Championships."
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Britain's Queen
Elizabeth and Prince Philip bid farewell to Colombia's President
Juan Manuel Santos and his wife Maria Clemencia de Santos following
their state visit, at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain November
3, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/File Photo
The Duchess of Cambridge is said to be a keen tennis fan and she
cheered on Murray from the Royal Box this year as he beat Canada's
Milos Raonic to win his second Wimbledon title, having missed his
2013 triumph.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that the Queen was standing down as
patron of the Lawn Tennis Association and the Rugby Football Union.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
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