The honour accorded every reigning Ladies’ Singles Champion is that they open Centre Court play on Day 2, walking out under the Royal Box, whose cushioned green wicker seats are reserved for members of the Royal Family and a host of illustrious guests invited by the All England Club Chair, Deborah Jevans.

To a round of cheers, Barbora Krejcikova embarked on the defence of her title against Alexandra Eala in the presence of Lady Rose Gilman, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (who is an Honorary Member of the Club), accompanied by Lady Tamara van Cutsem, the sister of the Duke of Westminster.

The more globally familiar figure of Cate Blanchett added her own brand of regal presence. The Australian actress made her international breakthrough with a portrayal of a young Queen Elizabeth I in the 1998 period drama Elizabeth and further established majestic credentials in the role of Galadriel, the pointy-eared elf queen in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

A royal aura extended to the multi-prize-winning golfer and Olympic gold medallist Justin Rose and his wife Kate who, only 13 days ago, were among the King and Queen’s guests in the third carriage of the Royal Procession at Ascot.

And to actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong, not just in the name of the son who sat alongside him in the Royal Box (Rex), but through an ancestor, Mary Broughton, who was a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Charlotte, wife of George III (as revealed by the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?).

Fittingly for Krejcikova – and, later, Roland-Garros champion Coco Gauff, whose opening match against Dayana Yastremska was scheduled third on Centre Court – the day’s guest list celebrated strong women.

It was great to see actress Sarah Lancashire and writer Sally Wainwright, known for their collaborations on gritty dramas such as Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax, enjoying a sunny day out in the Wimble-world of happy volleys.

Representing the other end of the entertainment spectrum was Julia Donaldson, a former Children’s Laureate. Come to think of it, the theme of her much-loved tale, The Gruffalo – the story of a mouse strolling in a wood and encountering a series of predators – is a literary equivalent of a Grand Slam winner’s progress through a tournament.

Fellow Royal Box invitees included a duo of redoubtable British tennis mothers, freed of nerves afflicted by watching their sons’ heroics in front of expectant home crowds.

Cue Dr Judy Murray, former Great Britain Fed Cup captain and the mother of Andy and Jamie, who need little introduction, but for the record have four Wimbledon titles between them (Andy’s 2013 and 2016 crowns and Jamie’s 2007 and 2017 mixed doubles wins).

And Jane Henman, mother of Tim, the four-time men’s singles semi-finalist and current Board Member whose heroics are commemorated in the very geography of the Grounds with Henman Hill.

Jane Henman, a Club Member, once revealed she lost more than half a stone in nervous energy while supporting Tim during the Fortnight. A sneak preview of the Royal Box Afternoon Tea menu reveals no worries on that score.

The splendid array included seven varieties of sandwiches (including cucumber, mint and cream cheese, smoked trout, lemon and black pepper crème fraîche and Wimbledon Coronation chicken), six tempting cakes (from Victoria sponge to chocolate crémeux), warm scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam, bowls of iconic strawberries and cream, and – drum roll – Bath Buns.

Bath Buns – note the prestigious capital letters – are key players in the Championships of Provenance and deserve their own appreciation society. Originating in the 18th century, the rich fruit buns contained a sugar cube and proved so popular that they were introduced at Wimbledon in 1936 by caterers J Lyons & Co.

For years, they were the go-to thing to eat at Wimbledon. As a visitor in 1967 said, “We had a brief walk round the Grounds and I bought the obligatory Bath Bun”. Tom Booton, the Club Gourmet Chef 2024 and Head Chef at his eponymous Grill at The Dorchester, must surely have enjoyed a professional tasting.

A last word on food… Was it fanciful to suggest that Australian actor Russell Crowe might like to reprise one of his best-known roles in tunic and breastplate and hotfoot it from the Royal Box to Wimbledon village, where Italian restaurant Cent Anni hails tennis players as gladiators with windows depicting a grass court inside the Colosseum in Rome?

Back to the sport. Casting an appreciative eye over the speed, stamina and G-force-defying athleticism on show (hello, Novak Djokovic) was none other than Sir Jackie Stewart, the only British driver to have won three championships until Lewis Hamilton matched his feat in 2015.

Other sports dignitaries included Bill Beaumont, the former chairman of World Rugby and currently interim chairman of the Rugby Football Union, and Baroness Campbell of Loughborough, Director of Women’s Football at the Football Association. 

Also in the house was The Reverend Mandy Hodgson, rector of St Mary’s Church, Wimbledon. The steeple is a prominent local landmark, visible from the Club Grounds, and a beacon of perspective amid the emotional hurly-burly of Grand Slam victories and defeats.

For Wimbledons fly by, as Humphrey Truman, elder brother of 1961 Wimbledon finalist Christine Truman and a former Club Committee member, would agree. Just a few weeks short of his 90th birthday, Truman enjoyed a day in the Royal Box, no doubt reminiscing over a Bath Bun about his run to the mixed doubles quarter-finals with his sister in 1959.