Who’s who in the Royal Box at the women’s final of Wimbledon 2023?

As unseeded Markéta Vondroušová triumphed over Ons Jabeur on Centre Court today, there was only one place to catch the action. 

The Czech Republic’s Markéta Vondroušová wowed the crowd by defeating the bookies’ favourite, Jabeur, from Tunisia, in straight sets, to lift Venus Rosewater Dish.

And as the final went by in a flash with Vondroušová winning in straight sets, there was one very exlusive place to catch the action – the Royal Box. 

Throughout this year’s championships, the Royal Box has seen a star-studded set of attendees sit down to watch the action on the court.

And today has seen perhaps the most exclusive line-up, with a host of famous faces sitting down to watch Jabeur and Vondroušová battle it out for victory. 

Here, FEMAIL reveals the Royal Box line up as the women’s competition draws to a close. 

1. Dame Maggie Smith

Dame Maggie Smith is an English actress who has starred in dozens of films during her seven-decade career.

One of her most memorable roles is as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter film franchise.

She has also starred in blockbusters including Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van, as well as TV roles in Downton Abbey.

During her extensive career, she has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and four Emmys.

2&3. Lance Tankard & Sue Barker

Sue Barker is a TV presenter and former tennis player who fronted the BBC’s coverage of the Wimbledon Championships for 30 years.

After stepping down last year and passing the reins to colleague Clare Balding, many viewers have expressed their sadness that she is not on their screens this year.

However, she has been making the most of her time off and has been spotted in SW19 on every day of the tournament as a spectator.

During her playing career, Barker, now 67, won 15 WTA titles, including the French Open in 1976. 

In 1988, Sue married landcape gardener Lance Tankard. The couple now live in The Cotswolds.

4. Julia Lemigova

Julia Lemigova is one of the stars of reality TV show, the Real Housewives of Miami who is married to Martina Navratilova.

The Russian born model was first runner-up in the Miss USSR beauty pageant in 1990.

Julia, who has two daughters and a son who sadly passed away in 1997, married Martina in 2015.

5. Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova, considered a tennis legend, has won 59 Grand Slam titles overall, including 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles.

The last was a mixed doubles championship with Bob Bryan at the 2006 US Open, a month shy of her 50th birthday.

Navratilova originally retired in 1994, after a record 167 singles titles and 331 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

Just last month, the iconic athlete announced that she is clear of cancer.

‘Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, proton and radiation magicians etc- what a relief,’ she wrote.

Navratilova, 66, also added ‘f*** cancer’ in the post.

She revealed she had been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer in January and that she would begin treatment that month.

6. Princess of Wales

The Princess of Wales looked cool in geometric sunglasses as she watched the action with Billie Jean King

Princess Kate, 41, is patron of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club – a position she has held since 2016.

For the two weeks every year that the Wimbledon Championships are held in SW19, the mother-of-three will often be spotted in the Royal Box on Centre Court catching the action.

Last week, in the early stages of the tournament, Kate donned a £1,950 mint green blazer from Balmain and a white pleated skirt (an ode to Wimbledon whites) to attend the All England Club where she met with ball boys and girls.

As play began on Centre Court, Kate was seated in the Royal Box, where she was greeted by a standing ovation.

During the outing, Kate put on a friendly display as she welcomed close pal Roger Federer to a special ceremony at Wimbledon.

She was among those enthusiastically applauding as Federer, 41, was honoured for his stellar sporting achievements on Centre Court following his retirement from the game last year.

7. Billie Jean King 

Billie Jean King is a former American number one tennis player who won a total of 39 grand slam titles during her career.

Of these wins, 12 were singles titles, 16 were for women’s doubles, and 11 were mixed doubles.

After spending her career advocating for gender equality in sport, she founded the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation.

In 1987 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and is often dubbed the greatest tennis player of all time.

8. Ilana Kloss

Ilana Kloss is a South African-born former professional tennis player who was once ranked world number one in the doubles.

She has been married to Billie Jean King since 2018, but the couple have been together for some four decades.

In 1972, Ilana won the Wimbledon juniors singles title.

9. Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra is a Hollywood actress and producer from India. In the year 2000, she won the Miss World beauty pageant.

During her acting career, she has starred in blockbusters including Citadel, Baywatch and The Matrix Resurrections.

In 2021 she released a memoir, Unfinished, which made the New York Times Bestseller list.

In addition to her acting work, Priyanka has worked with UNICEF since 2006 and served as the charity’s Goodwill Ambassador in 2010 and 2016 respectively. 

She has been married to Nick Jonas since 2018.

10. Nick Jonas

Nick Jonas is a singer and one-third of The Jonas Brothers, with his siblings Kevin and Joe.

The siblings rose to fame on the Disney channel in films such as Camp Rock, before starring in their own series on the channel.

The Texan-born singer-songwriter released his first single in 2002 which drew the attention of Columbia Records.

In addition to singing and acting, he has also launched fashion lines and even a tequila.

11. Issa Rae

Issa Rae, an American actress, donned Barbie pink to attend the women’s final in tribute to the Barbie movie, in which she plays President Barbie

Issa Rae is an American actress, producer and comedian who shot to fame with her YouTube series Awkward Black Girl which debuted in 2011.

She has recently been promoting the new Barbie movie, which is released worldwide next week. 

In the film, directed by Greta Gerwig, she plays the character of President Barbie.

However, she revealed this week at the Barbie premiere in London that she isn’t a fan of the colour pink.

Speaking to Amelia Dimoldenberg, she said: ‘I’m in the pink spirit for this movie, and then after it’s done, I’ll burn it all.’

12 & 13. Vanessa Nadal and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American songwriter who has penned some of the world’s most famous musicals, including Hamilton, which has won 11 Tony Awards.

Miranda has also written scores for several films, with two tracks nominated for Academy Awards.

In 2018 he starred in the reboot of Mary Poppins, playing Jack alongside Emily Blunt’s magical nanny character. 

He was accompanied in the Royal Box this afternoon by his wife, Vanessa Nadal, who is a lawyer.

The couple have been married since 2010 and have two sons.

14. Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield was cool in a beige suit as he watched the match next to music man, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Andrew Garfield is a British-American actor who has played huge roles in Hollywood, including Spider Man.

After being born in LA and raised in Epsom, England, Garfield studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

In addition to Hollywood films, Garfield has also starred in several Broadway shows including Death of a Salesman.

He even appeared as a guest judge on Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK.

15. Vito Schnabel

Vito Schnabel is an American art dealer who owns a gallery named after him.

The gallery has locations in New York, Santa Monica and St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Recently, he has dabbled in filmmaking, and is currently working on a project called The Trainer, a film in which he stars.

16 & 17 Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam and Lady Karen Van-Tam

Jonathan Van-Tam is a Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England who became a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The professor, who specialises in influenza and pandemic preparedness, was key in forming the UK’s pandemic response.

In 2022, he was knighted in the New Year’s honours list for his services to public health.

Today he attended Centre Court with his wife, Lady Karen Van-Tam, who is a former nurse. 

18 & 19. Lady Key and Admiral Sir Ben Key 

Sir Ben Key is a senior royal navy officer who has served as first sea lord since 2021.

He has deployed on missions including Kosovo and Iraq during his career, after first joining the navy in 1984.

He led the UK’s evacuation efforts from Afghanistan in August 2021 during the Taliban takeover.

He was accompanied by his wife Elly Key in the Royal Box today.