As Wimbledon 2025 continues to draw in crowds of sports fans, celebrities, and royalty alike, past moments from Centre Court have started resurfacing — including one particular incident involving the Duchess of Sussex that still raises eyebrows.

It was July 2019 when Meghan Markle made an appearance at the tournament to support her close friend Serena Williams. Attending in a personal capacity rather than as part of the official royal entourage, Meghan dressed casually for the day — in jeans, a black top, a light linen blazer, and a panama hat.

But what seemed like a relaxed, summer-ready outfit reportedly caused quite a stir behind the scenes.

Royal by title, but still subject to the dress code

Despite being a working royal at the time, Meghan was denied access to the exclusive Royal Box due to one fashion choice: jeans. According to Wimbledon’s long-standing etiquette, denim — of any kind or colour — is not permitted in members-only areas, including the Royal Box and enclosures.

“She wanted to come incognito,” one official said, speaking to The Times, “but there were problems.” Another source from the All England Club noted that “they couldn’t invite her into the Royal Box because she was wearing jeans,” although it didn’t matter much, since Meghan’s goal was simply to watch Serena play.