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Kate Middleton’s Ribbon Accessory Holds a Surprising Special Meaning

Kate Middleton wore a meaningful accessory during her latest Zoom call. (Hint: We’re not talking about her earrings.)

The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, recently surprised a group of schoolchildren with a special video call starring former Wimbledon champion, Sir Andy Murray. Middleton wore a shirt dress that’s printed with tiny tennis players and accessorized the look with a green and purple bow pinned to her lapel.

The ribbon is a tribute to the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC), where the royal has served as a patron since 2016.

It’s common for female members of the AELTC to wear the honorary bow to tennis-related events. For example, Middleton has donned the ribbon at every Wimbledon tournament since 2017. Since this year’s event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the duchess couldn’t resist breaking it out.

Green and purple have been the AELTC’s official colors since 1909. According to the official website, it wasn’t the organization’s initial scheme. However, the original logo started drawing comparisons to the Royal Marines, so they changed it to what it is today.

It reads, “The present colors—dark green and purple—were introduced in 1909 following the discovery that the previous Club colors of blue, yellow, red and green were almost identical to those of the Royal Marines. The decision as to why dark green and purple were chosen is not stated in the Club’s records.”

The more you know.

Listen to ‘Royally Obsessed,’ the Podcast for People Who Love the Royal Family

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Greta Heggeness

Senior Editor

Greta Heggeness is a California-based editor at PureWow and has been writing about entertainment since 2015. She covers everything from awards shows to exclusive celebrity...
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