Roger Federer ‘breaks royal protocol’ with Kate Middleton at Wimbledon

Roger Federer broke royal protocol at Wimbledon on Tuesday when greeting Kate Middleton, seemingly wanting to give her a kiss on the cheek.

The tennis star, who retired last year, was greeted with a standing ovation when he arrived at Centre Court to watch Elena Rybakina and Shelby Rogers.

As he walked to the Royal Box, he gave his wife Mirka a kiss on the cheek and then touched Kate's back and appeared to start going in for a kiss on the cheek, before stopping as Kate simply gave him a nod.

This may have felt odd for Roger, who has been friends with Kate's sister Pippa for years and even taught Prince George how to play tennis, however, in royal circles a kiss on the cheek may be seen as disrespectful.

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Out of respect, a handshake is the most familiar greeting most commoners will receive from a British royal, and this is only if the royal should extend their hand out first, otherwise, members of the royal family should not be touched. Even Kate's children are meant to bow and curtsy to her.

It comes after Kate and Prince William broke royal protocol earlier in the year when they attended a Coronation Big Lunch on the Long Walk in Windsor.

The couple mingled with the public at the event, with William even accepting a cup containing a mysterious drink. The future king took a sip from the paper cup before passing it to Kate, who also had a taste.

“Oh, that’s lovely,” she told the woman, before continuing to mingle with partygoers.

Prince William also looked delighted after he was given a can of Windsor & Eton Brewery’s Organic Coronation Ale by an attendee, with his father’s portrait on the can.

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Delish reports royals are not supposed to consume complimentary food or drink from people they don’t know personally. According to another Yahoo article, this is to help prevent attempts to poison a royal family member.

This rule for unsanctioned food or drink consumption is supposedly in place as the royal family no longer travel with taste testers.

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