Benedict Cumberbatch joins stars in Wimbledon royal box

On day nine of the Wimbledon championships, actor Benedict Cumberbatch took a seat in the Royal Box to watch the action on Centre Court. The Sherlock actor was all set to watch the men’s and women’s singles quarterfinals, which included Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic taking on Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday. The 49-year-old Benedict Cumberbatch was joined in the box by his partner, theater director Sophie Hunter; he sported a striped tie and a pale gray jacket.

Scottish tennis coach Judy Murray—mother of tennis stars Jamie and Andy Murray—also joined them in the Royal Box. The 66-year-old Murray took a sharp jab at this year’s championship over its lack of British talent, labeling it as “incredibly disappointing.” Taking to her official X (formerly Twitter) account, she wrote, “Not one Scot good enough to get into junior singles @Wimbledon for the 2nd successive year. And all 11 British teens lost the 1st round today. 6 boys. 5 girls. Incredibly disappointing.” She continued, “The pathway is flawed. Follow the Italian model. Invest in clubs + coaches. Not centralized systems.”

Alongside her agent, Emma Paterson, author Bernardine Evaristo took her seat in the Royal Box wearing a colorful frock and headdress. With her 2019 book Girl, Woman, Other, the 67-year-old Evaristo made history as the first Black British woman to win the Booker Prize.

K-Pop Demon Hunters star Arden Cho, who recently married orthopedic surgeon Christopher Lee at an opulent wedding in Florence, Italy, was also spotted in the Royal Box. Sharing an Instagram video of herself and her spouse visiting the southwest London grounds, the actress told her followers that they were crossing an item off Lee’s bucket list.

With temperatures predicted to reach 30°C on yet another sweltering day at the championships, stars in the Royal Box will have much-needed sun protection. On Monday, as British wild card Arthur Fery defeated Grigor Dimitrov to earn a spot in the quarterfinals, several seats on Centre Court remained unoccupied because ticket holders with seats in direct sunlight chose not to watch.