Who’s who in the royal box at Wimbledon? Kate Middleton’s parents, adventurer Bear Grylls and cricket star Pat Cummins watch the action on day four

The fourth day of Wimbledon has begun and that means a large number of VIPs will be watching the match live from the Royal Box.

As the name suggests, members of the Royal Family often stay here, most notably the Princess of Wales, patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Although Kate was unable to attend today due to her cancer diagnosis, her parents, Michael and Carole, were present at the tennis tournament.

It is not yet known which royals will take part in this year’s tournament. Yesterday, the Duchess of Gloucester was present. However, there were other famous faces present, including Australian cricketer Pat Cummins and adventurer Bear Grylls.

FEMAIL presents here some of the prominent guests in the Royal Box at Wimbledon today.

Carole and Michael Middleton

The Princess of Wales’ mother and father, Carole and Michael Middleton, attended the fourth day of Wimbledon, their second public appearance since their daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

The radiant couple, dressed in all their finery, looked in high spirits as they sat next to each other in the royal box for the prestigious event in London.

It follows their joyous appearance at Royal Ascot last month, where they were joined by members of the royal family, including their son-in-law Prince William, at the extravagant event.

Carole, 69, looked elegant in a floral dress with a short white jacket as she watched the live action, while her husband, 75, sat next to her and looked equally handsome in a navy suit.

The Middletons, who live in Berkshire, usually visit Wimbledon for several days, but are usually only invited to sit in the Royal Box once per tournament.

It’s a well-deserved day out for Carole and Michael, who are said to be supporting their daughter during her cancer treatment at her Windsor home.

Beer and Shara Grylls

British adventurer Bear Grylls today swapped the dangerous and remote conditions for the comfort of the Royal Box.

Grylls, 50, is a former pupil of Eton College – the same school that Prince William and Prince Harry attended. But because he is eight years older than William, Bear did not share classes with either prince.

Despite this, Grylls is said to be a good friend of the Prince of Wales and has worked with him and Prince Harry on various conservation projects over the years.

He sat next to his writer wife Shara Grylls, 50, with whom he has three children.

The couple married in 2000 after a whirlwind romance, having known each other for about two years.

The adventurer previously revealed that he and Shara went to couples therapy at the start of their relationship as a preventative measure to help them navigate married life.

Since their marriage, Shara has written two books, the first of which, Marriage Matters, was published in 2009.

Pat and Becky Cummins

Pat Cummins, captain of the Australian men’s cricket team, took his seat in the Royal Box on the fourth day of Wimbledon with his wife Becky.

The 31-year-old cricketer was once a talented teenager, who was coached by famous Australian cricketer Dennis Lillee.

He has since broken his master records, taking 250 Test wickets at a superior average and strike rate while captaining his country.

Among Australian pace bowlers, only Lillee and Glenn McGrath (55) have managed to reach the 250-wicket mark in fewer Tests than Cummins’ 57 (Mitchell Johnson also reached the milestone in 57 Tests).

He is the tenth Australian bowler to reach this milestone, joining teammates Mitchell Starc (342 Test wickets) and Nathan Lyon (505) on the coveted list.

The sportsman attended Wimbledon with his glamorous wife Becky Cummins. Becky married Australian cricket captain Pat in a lavish ceremony in Byron Bay in July 2022.

The couple, who have a son together, Albie, married at the French-inspired Chateau Du Soleil, surrounded by family and friends.

They welcomed Albie in October 2021, with Pat taking to Twitter to say he was “absolutely in love” with the baby boy.

Bill and Cynthia Bryson

Travel journalist Bill Bryson travelled to SW19 today with his wife Cynthia to watch the fourth day of Wimbledon.

The esteemed writer came to the UK while backpacking around Europe in his early 20s. He got a job at a psychiatric hospital where he met a fellow nurse, Cynthia Billen, whom he married and the couple had four children together.

He and Cynthia moved back to Des Moines, Iowa in 1975 so Bryson could complete his studies. However, the couple settled in the United Kingdom in 1977 and currently live in Hampshire.

Bryson began his writing career in the late 1970s as a journalist for the Bournemouth Evening Echo and eventually became editor of the business page of The Times and deputy national news editor of the business page of The Independent.

In 1985 he wrote his first book – The Palace Under the Alps and over 200 other unusual, unspoilt and rarely visited places in 16 European countries.

But the renowned writer, who received the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2006, considers A Short History of Nearly Everything, published in 2003, to be his most cherished book.

Bill was born in Iowa but has lived mainly in the UK since the 1970s. In 2020, the 72-year-old Notes from a Small Island writer announced his retirement, saying he had decided to “treat myself rather than explore new territory”.

At the time, the author said he had “considered retirement an experiment so far this year, but it has been a success.”

Sebastian and Harry Coe

They formed the father-son duo of the Royal Box and faced each other on the fourth day of Wimbledon.

Lord Coe won gold in the 1500 metres at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, was a Conservative MP for five years and was the driving force behind the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Sebastian is now president of the International Federation of Athletics Federations and divides his time between Monaco and London.

The former Conservative MP, who has four children, was accompanied to the meeting by his eldest son Harry.

Harry has previously indicated that he would like to follow in his father’s footsteps and enter the world of sport.

Sebastian recently made headlines when he stated that female athletes would never win a gold medal at the Olympics again if they were forced to compete against transgender athletes.

Lord Coe indicated in an interview that the gap is so wide that female participants in the Olympic Games do not stand a chance against transgenders.

The president of the sports federation, which last year announced a ban on trans women in women’s competitions, says the case is “very clear”.