The "Priceless Gift" Prince Louis Was Given at Wimbledon, Despite Never Attending the Sporting Event
"That makes it royally approved," the benefactor later revealed.
Prince Louis makes an impact wherever he goes. From entertaining royal fans at Sandringham on Christmas Day to mimicking brother Prince George's hair flips, Prince Louis makes just about any event memorable. To date, Kate Middleton and Prince William's youngest son hasn't attended Wimbledon's tennis championship. However, Prince Louis did receive a special gift from a Wimbledon attendee, which he's unlikely to forget anytime soon.
In July 2019, Princess Kate attended Wimbledon, where she was handed an item by tennis legend Stan Smith. The gift—an Adidas Stan Smith sneaker—was signed and dedicated to Prince Louis.
Smith famously won the 1972 Men's Singles Wimbledon Championships and the 1971 US Open. In 1973, Adidas released their first sneaker featuring Smith's name, and the brand still has a line of shoes carrying his moniker to this day.
Stan Smith hands an Adidas sneaker to Kate Middleton.
In a 2021 interview with GQ, Smith opened up about the moment he gave Princess Kate a pair of his Adidas sneakers for Louis. "I saw photographs of the Duchess Of Cambridge wearing the shoe and I once had the chance to chat to her at Wimbledon," the tennis legend explained. "I actually gave some shoes to the Duke and Duchess for George, Charlotte, and Louis."
Smith continued, "I presented a shoe to her at the Wimbledon tournament a few years back. I gave Prince Louis a baby-sized Stan, which said, 'To Louis from Stan Smith' on it."
An Adidas Stan Smith sneaker gifted to Prince Louis.
During his interview with GQ, Stan revealed he'd gifted a pair of Adidas Stan Smiths to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's son, Prince Archie. "I got a letter of thanks, which means [Meghan] got it and, interestingly, I've always heard that [Queen Elizabeth] has to approve all gifts, so that makes it royally approved by Her Majesty."
