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Duke Beaten at Wimbledon

The future King George VI takes to the court at Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

Non-Fiction 1926 1 mins Silent

Overview

The Duke of York, the future King George VI, attempts to rule the courts at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Partnered by his long-time friend and mentor Sir Louis Greig, he faces AW Gore and H Roper Barrett in the first round. Not surprisingly, the cameraman has little interest in subjects other than the Duke - and the Duchess of York watching from the stands. Whether HRH’s somewhat unorthodox serve was a factor in their decisive defeat is unclear.

This is only time a member of the royal family has competed at Wimbledon and it was only made possible because Sir Louis Greig was eligible to enter Wimbledon as the reigning RAF tennis champion. Greig has often been mentioned as the Duke of York’s surrogate father. The met while both at the Royal Naval College on the Isle of Wight and Greig, being 15 years older, took the then Prince Albert under his wing.