Today, the Princess of Wales is a familiar face in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, often spotted cheering courtside with Prince George and Princess Charlotte at her side. But over a decade ago, Kate found herself in a very different position — one where royal protocol and medical advice meant she had to sit out one of the biggest matches of the year.

The year was 2013, and Kate was just weeks away from giving birth to her first child, Prince George. At the time, Wimbledon was heading into its finals, and Andy Murray was on the verge of a historic win for British tennis. Kate, a lifelong tennis fan and patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, had every intention of being there — but her doctors had other ideas.

“I was very heavily pregnant with George, so I wasn’t able to turn up,” Kate recalled in the BBC documentary Our Wimbledon, hosted by Sue Barker. “I was sort of like, ‘Maybe I could go,’ but the doctors were like, ‘No.’”

Even with a royal baby imminent, Kate admitted she had trouble accepting the decision. She was reportedly so disappointed that she sent a personal note to Murray after his win, congratulating him and apologising for missing the match.

A difficult pregnancy, made more challenging by hyperemesis