Was the media asked to not report on Prince George’s Novak Djokovic fandom?

Prince George made his first trip to Wimbledon for the men’s final. It was hot – the beginning of England’s heatwave – and his mother made him dress up like a little banker in a suit and tie. I said at the time that I would not have had a problem with the Duchess of Cambridge taking George to Wimbledon in general, but let him be a kid about it. Take him to one of the outer courts to watch a British player. Let him wear a polo shirt and a shorts if it’s hot. Alas, Kate and William decided the optics of George-in-a-suit in the Royal Box were too good to pass up. As it turns out, George is a tennis fan and he even has a favorite player. Buckingham Palace didn’t want people to report on it though:

What might have been the first recorded public statement from Prince George (future king of this country; third in line to the throne) was given this weekend – and then almost immediately hushed up.

During a pool interview on Sunday, someone asked Prince George on camera who he wanted to win the tennis. George replied “Djokovic”.

Buckingham Palace then asked reporters not to use it.

[From Pop Bitch via Gawker]

George actually said he was rooting for Novak Djokovic on-camera, when Kate introduced George to some of the AELTC officials when they arrived. Then, also on-camera, George seemed very pleased to greet Djokovic after the match – George gave him a thumbs up and wanted to talk to Novak. I said before that I think Prince William is a Djokovic fan, while Kate is definitely a ride-or-die Roger Federer fan. It makes sense (to me) that George would like Novak, especially if George is watching matches with his dad. I suspect that if the palace tried to get people to leave out George’s comments, it would be for political reasons. Like, say, Novak’s anti-vaccine statements and stances. I seriously doubt George would even know about that stuff though, he just likes an athlete. It’s fine.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.