Who's who in the Wimbledon royal box on day seven? Pundit Chris Kamara and cricket legend Brian Lara lead the sporting heroes in the crowd at SW19

Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

It's middle Sunday at SW19 - and the high-profile guests have kept on coming as the legendary tennis tournament reaches the halfway point.
And as day seven of Wimbledon kicked off on Saturday, the royal box was once again dominated by sporting heroes and legends, although no members of the royal family themselves were present.
Today these included sports pundit Chris Kamara and cricketing legend Brian Lara.
And Team GB's best and brightest Olympic and Paralympic athletes also joined the fold, from equestrian Ros Canter to wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett.
The Royal Box has this season hosted A-list actors like Priyanka Chopra-Jonas and John Cena, TV adventurer Bear Grylls, and Dragons' Den mogul Deborah Meaden as well as Princess Beatrice, popstar Olivia Rodrigo, and the newly-knighted Sir David Beckham.
As the name suggests, the Royal Box often houses members of the Royal Family, notably the Princess of Wales, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Today's centre court clashes features the fourth round of the ladies' singles, with Russian tennis player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeating Britain's Sonay Kartal.
Later on, reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz will also play the fourth round against Russia's Andrey Rublev.
1 & 2. Jennifer Holl and Sophie Unwin
Jenny Holl is a professional racing cyclist, originally from Scotland.
The 25-year-old won two gold medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she competed with visually impaired athlete Sophie Unwin.
Jenny wore a blue floral dress to attend the Royal Box today and was seated next to Sophie.
Sophie Unwin competes in the Paralympics as a visually impaired athlete, competing in para-cycling tandem road and track events.
Sophie, 30, won two medals at the Tokyo 2020 games, and was selected to represent Team GB again in 2024.
3. James Guy
James, from Manchester, is a distinguished British swimmer renowned for his achievements in freestyle and butterfly events. He is one of the most decorated swimmers in British history.
He secured his first Olympic gold in the 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
He later defended this title at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming part of the first British quartet to retain the 4 × 200m freestyle relay title.
4. Nathan Maguire
Hannah's husband Nathan Maguire is an elite British wheelchair racer competing in the T54 classification across sprint and middle-distance events—100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m.
In Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, he won silver in mixed 4×100 m universal relay and came 6th in the 400 m T54 final.
In 2022 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, he won Gold in 1500 m T53/54—his first individual major title.
5. Tom Dean
Tom Dean is a British Olympic swimmer who made history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by becoming the first male British swimmer in over a century to win two gold medals at the same Games, securing victories in the 200m freestyle and the 4×200m freestyle relay .
He was awarded an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for his services to swimming.
Dean continued his success at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, becoming England's most decorated athlete with seven medals, and further added to his accolades with four medals at the 2023 World Championships.
6. Ms Rosalind and Mr Barnie Canter
Ros Canter was part of the team that won the Great Britain their first gold medal of Paris 2024 in the equestrian eventing, consisting of showjumping, dressage and cross country.
Ros, 39, is also the 2018 World Champion and won the Badminton Horse Trials in May, and was reserve at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
7. Gordon Reid
Professional wheelchair tennis player Gordon Reid, 33, has been ranked as world No.1 in both singles and doubles.
In addition, he was the Rio 2016 men's singles gold medallist and doubles silver medallist, Tokyo 2020 men's singles bronze medallist and doubles silver medallist, Australian Open 2016 men's singles champion and Wimbledon 2016 men's singles champion.
He is also a 25-time Grand Slam doubles champion, four-time World Team Cup gold medallist.
Gordon is also a keen footballer, and is known in tennis for his partnership with Alfie Hewett. He was joined today by his manager Paul Regan.
8. Alfie Hewett
Alfie is a British professional wheelchair tennis player. He is the current world No. 2 in singles and world No. 1 in doubles.
He has won a total of 32 major titles: ten in singles and 22 in doubles, partnering Gordon Reid for all of the latter.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to tennis, Hewett was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours.
9. Chris Kamara
Chris Kamara, 67, is an English former professional footballer and manager.
He has played for a number of Premier League teams, including Swindon Town, Leeds United and Sheffield United.
Between 1992 and 2022, Chris was a presenter and football analyst on Sky Sports.
In January, Chris revealed he struggles to walk down stairs after being diagnosed with speech apraxia.
He was diagnosed with the rare neurological condition that affects his ability to speak in 2022 and was subsequently forced to step away from his television duties, including Sky Sports Soccer Saturday.
10. Brian Lara
Former cricketer Brian Lara is widely considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Hailing from Trinidad, the 56-year-old holds the titles for highest Test and first-class scores.
11. Mark Foster
Mark Foster is a retired British swimmer renowned for his exceptional achievements in short-course freestyle and butterfly events.
He also set eight world records and represented Great Britain in five Olympic Games.
Over a distinguished 23-year career, he amassed 51 international medals, including six World Championship titles, 10 European Championship titles, and two Commonwealth Championship titles.
Also present today were:
Jack McMillan
Another sporting face seen in the crowd today was swimmer Jack McMillan, who won gold in the men's 4x200 freestyle in Paris.
Jack, who is from Belfast, beamed as he made his royal box debut today.
Prior to his call-up for Great Britain, McMillan spent the first part of his career with the Irish team – competing at the 2021 European Championships and the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Olivia Newman-Baronius
Olivia Newman-Baronius won gold in the Paralympics last year for the mixed 4x100 freestyle alongside her teammates Poppy Maskill, Rhys Derbey and Will Ellard.
She also won bronze behind Maskill in the 100m backstroke.
Now aged 18, Olivia was just 12 when she began swimming at a national level.
Matthew Richards and Emily Richards
Matthew Richards, 22, specialises in the 100 and 200 metre freestyle, and attended Wimbledon today with his wife, Emily, whom he married last year.
In Paris last year, he won silver in the freestyle final.
He said afterwards: 'I could see a wave of people. I could see it was going to be really close.
'I thought I'd just done enough. I looked at the scoreboard and saw the number two next to my name. Great. But also so annoying.
'It felt as if I had touched the wall first. I'd be lying if I said it was fantastic. It did feel like I'd done enough but the time says differently. It's not a sport where it's up to debate it is black and white so we'll move on, we'll go better and see what we can do next time. It wasn't my best finish.'
Duncan and Alexandria Scott
Another swimmer in the audience was Duncan Scott, from Glasgow.
He was Scotland's most decorated athlete at Paris 2024, winning a total of eight medals - six silver and two gold.
Scott was awarded an OBE in the 2025 New Year Honours.
His sister Alexandria, now a planning consultant, was also a competitive swimmer.
Brock Whiston
Brock Whiston is a British Paralympic swimmer who won one gold medal and one silver medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The 28-year-old, from Romford, also holds four world records after she beat the seven-year-old 200m individual medley world record by almost five seconds in 2019.
Emma Wiggs
Emma Wiggs MBE is a British paracanoeist who has won a gold medal at each of the last three Paralympic Games.
The 45-year-old, from Harrow, is also a former sitting volleyball player and competed in the 2012 Paralympics as part of the UK team.
Kieran Bird and Isabelle Thorpe
Kieran Bird is a British swimmer who represented Team GB at the 2020 and 2024 summer Olympics.
At Paris, he swam in a heat leg of the men's 4x200m freestyle team that went on to win gold.
He also won gold in the men's 400 freestyle at the British National Championships in April 2024.
He was in starred company this afternoon, as Isabelle is a British synchronised swimmer, and won a silver medal in Paris during the duet. This was Team GB's first-ever artistic swimming medal.
Sophie and Emily Capewell
Also leading today's sporting legends, was racing cyclist Sophie Capewell, who won a gold medal in the team sprint.
Sophie, 26, was born into a cycling family and has carried this legacy throughout her sporting career.
She's also a talented swimmer, previously competing at county level before specialising in cycling.
She was awarded an MBE in the 2025 New Year Honours and was joined today by her sister, Emily.
Hannah Cockroft
Hannah is a British wheelchair racer specialising in sprint distances in the T34 classification and TV presenter.
Double gold at London 2012; three golds at Rio 2016; two more at Tokyo 2020; and another two at Paris 2024—making her a nine-time Paralympic champion.
She holds global and Paralympic records in the 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m T34 categories.
Laura Collett
Laura Collett MBE is an elite British equestrian excelling in three-day eventing, representing Team GB.
She was integral to Team GB's first eventing team gold since 1972 in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, while In Paris 2024 she defended her team gold, and claimed individual bronze, breaking the Olympic dressage score record with a 17.5.
She was appointed an MBE in 2022 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.
Dimitri Coutya
Dimitri Coutya is one of Great Britain's top wheelchair fencers, excelling in Category B sabre, foil, and épée.
In the Paris Olympics 2024, he became a double Paralympic champion, winning individual foil B and épée B golds, plus team silver (foil) and bronze (épée).
At Tokyo 2020, he earned two individual bronzes along with team medals-foil silver and épée bronze.
Emily Craig MBE
Emily, from Pembury, Kent, is a celebrated British lightweight rower, Olympic champion, three-time world champion, and two-time European champion.
Narrowly missed bronze at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 but triumphed at Paris 2024 alongside Imogen Grant, winning gold in the final Olympic lightweight double sculls event.
She won gold in the World Championships in 2016 and back-to-back golds in 2022 and 2023 .
Holly Nixon
Holly is a British rower from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, currently rowing for Leander Club and the GB Rowing Team.
She won gold in the Women's Coxless Four at the World Rowing Championships in Rotterdam in 2016.
She won bronze in the Women's Quad Sculls at both the World Championships (Sarasota) and European Championships.
In 2021 she secured bronze in the Women's Double Sculls at the European Championships in Varese.
Rhys Darbey
Rhys Darbey, joined by his mother Carol, is a promising British Paralympic swimmer, specialising in the S14 classification for athletes with intellectual impairments.
At the Paris Paralympics he was a member of Team GB's mixed freestyle relay, winning gold in his debut Paralympic race at just 17 years old, in 2024.
He also clocked a personal best and went onto win silver in the Men's 200m.
Jacquie Hughes
Jacquie is a British coach and policy director known for her significant contributions to both the swimming and media sector.
Jacquie has been instrumental in the development of para-swimming talent in the UK.
Louise Fiddes
Lousie is a British Paralympic swimmer who has achieved significant success in international competitions.
At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won gold in the SB14 100m breaststroke and bronze in the S14 200m freestyle, marking a personal best.
In her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Fiddes secured silver in the SB14 100m breaststroke and bronze in the SM14 200m individual medley.
Ashley Ransome
British swimmer Ashley competed at the British Masters Championships 2025, racing to a Gold medal setting a new British Masters record in the 30-35 years age group.
Representing Hertford Swimming Club, Ransome holds multiple club records across various distances, including the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events.
Finlay Graham
Finlay is a C3-class British para‑cyclist, who won two silver medals at Tokyo 2020, in the road race and the 3 000 m individual pursuit.
He later captured his first Paralympic gold in the men's C1–3 road race at Paris 2024.
Between 2022 and 2023, he dominated both track and road competitions, securing multiple UCI World Cup victories and claiming world titles including C3 road race and individual pursuit world championships.
Anna McDiarmid
Anna was selected in 2018 to Sport Scotland's Young People's Sport Panel, she has led outreach and wellbeing initiatives across Scotland, including playing a key role in 2020's 'Walk and Talk' campaign to promote physical activity and connection during lockdown
Jodie Grinham
Jodie Grinham is a British archer who represented Great Britain in the Summer Paralympics.
She won silver in the mixed team compound event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, partnering with John Stubb.
At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, while seven months pregnant, she became the first-ever pregnant Paralympic medalist, securing gold in the mixed team compound with Nathan MacQueen and bronze in the individual compound open event.
Charlotte Henshaw
MBE Charlotte, from Nottinghamshire, is a British Paralympic athlete across multiple disciplines.
Originally a swimmer, she changed to canoeing from 2017, becoming the reigning World champion in the KL2 and VL3 200m event.
She secured gold in the Women's KL2 200m kayak event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and successfully defended her title at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
In recognition of her contributions to para canoeing, Henshaw was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours.
Tully Kearney
Tully Kearney is a British Paralympic swimmer with three gold medals to her name.
The 28-year-old won her first Paralympic Games gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games and the second two at the Paris 2024 Games.
Growing up in Aldridge, Tully attended the same school as future Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds.
Samantha Kinghorn
Samantha Kinghorn is a British wheelchair racer who won a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
The 29-year-old is the fastest ever female British wheelchair racer in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m races.
She took up the sport after suffering an injury in December 2010 that left her paralysed from the waist down.
Since 2023, Samantha has presented television shows, including the BBC's Countryfile.
Katy Marchant and Robert Nicholls
In Paris, Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane smashed the world record in a spectacular sprint cycling final.
In December, Katy, 32, was involved in a horror crash at the London velodrome and catapulted over the barrier and into the crowd.
She broke her arm but was said to be in 'good spirits' after being treated by medics on site.
She was joined by her husband Rob Nicholls, whom she married in September 2021 - just weeks after that year's games.
Mr Tom and Ms Harriet McEwen
Tom McEwan joined Ros Canter and Laura Collett to be crowned eventing champions at Paris 2024.
He beamed as he said: 'To get another gold for Team GB and British eventing and for the sport of eventing and first gold of the Games for GB.'
The Swindon-born Olympian later went viral on social media as he struggled to get off a phonecall with family and friends as the cameras kept rolling.