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Sir David Attenborough, 98, beams as Wimbledon crowd rises to ...

Sir David Attenborough 98 beams as Wimbledon crowd rises to
The TV icon was in great spirits.

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Sir David Attenborough was positively beaming as he joined David Beckham in the royal box at Wimbledon – prepare your hearts for a truly adorable moment!

The 98-year-old broadcaster and naturalist was seen with his daughter Susan Attenborough as they arrived at the iconic venue in time for the first round match between Carlos Alcaraz and Mark Lajal.

Dressed in a sharp navy suit and patterned tie, Sir David was smiling as he took his seat.

Making his way in, he was overwhelmed as the entire crowd rose to their feet to, quite rightly, cheer for him.

The dapper TV icon was also cheered and applauded by Beckham, with Sir David noticeably blushing while basking in the love from the crowd.

He looked to be in great spirits and as sprightly as ever, and exchanged a few words with retired football legend Beckham as they settled for the first day of action in the prestigious tournament.

Once a video of the sweet moment surfaced online, it quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

Sir David Attenborough in the royal box at Wimbledon
A beaming Sir David Attenborough received a standing ovation as he took his seat in the royal box at Wimbledon (Picture: Shaun Brooks/Action Plus/Shutter)
David Beckham and Sir David Attenborough (left) in the royal box on centre court on day one of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
The two Davids were in great spirits as they crossed paths (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)

‘There are legends and then there’s Sir David Attenborough!’, wrote Lukesblog1 on X.

‘God bless him, what a wonderful moment’, added Classicbritcom.

Plenty of others hailed him as a ‘national treasure’, with bananaintherama writing: ‘He really embodies the best of mankind. What a legend !’

In contrast, Becks sported a tan suit with a purple pocket square, looking suitably dashing for the occasion.

Sir David Attenborough and daughter Susan Attenborough arrived in the royal box at Wimbledon
Sir David and his daughter Susan were in attendance (Picture: Reuters/Hannah McKay)
Sir David Attenborough in the royal box on centre court on day one of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
The TV icon has plenty of history with Wimbledon (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)

The two Davids – now, there’s a double act – were leading the way in a star-studded royal box, while the former Manchester United star was joined by mum Sandra.

Sir David’s ties to Wimbledon go back much further than most people realise, as he’s even the reason tennis balls are yellow.

In the late 1960s, he worked for the BBC as a controller tasked with bringing colour to TVs across the UK.

He was watching a tennis match and realised it was difficult to see the ball, either black or white at the time.

David Beckham and Sandra Beckham in the royal box of centre court on day one of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
It was a family affair as David Beckham was joined by his mum Sandra (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)
David Beckham and Sir David Attenborough cross paths in the royal box on day one of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
Beckham was seen laughing after exchanging words with Sir David (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)
David Beckham sits in front of singer Katherine Jenkins and Pointless star Alexander Armstrong on the first day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
Just behind Beckham, Katherine Jenkins was seen sharing a joke with Pointless host Alexander Armstrong (Picture:Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)

In their book 2,2024 QI Facts To Stop You In Your Tracks, authors John Lloyd, James Harkin, and Anne Miller wrote: ‘Yellow tennis balls, which look better on colour TV, were the idea of David Attenborough when he was Controller of BBC2.’

In 2017, Sir David opened up about his key role in bringing colour TV to Wimbledon and admitted he was ‘proud as a peacock’ for his achievements.

he told Radio Times: ‘It suddenly dawned on me that the one thing we did have was outside broadcast units. I thought, “Blimey, couldn’t we deploy them?” And then I thought of Wimbledon.

‘I mean, it is a wonderful plot: you’ve got drama, you’ve got everything. And it’s a national event, it’s got everything going for it. I was as proud as a peacock. It was absolutely terrific. It was a big moment in my life.’

Alison Hammond attends day one of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships
Alison Hammond rocked a stunning polka dot dress (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Myleene Klass, Steph McGovern and Lorraine Kelly celebrate with Champagne Lanson at Wimbledon
Myleene Klass raised a glass with Steph McGovern and Lorraine Kelly (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Champagne Lanson)
Pixie Lott and Jameela Jamil pose in the evian Mountain Of Youth VIP suite during day 1 of Wimbledon
Pixie Lott and Jameela Jamil posed for the cameras (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images for evian)

TV royalty were also in attendance, with This Morning and Great British Bake Off favourite Alison Hammond stepping out in a black and white polka dot dress, and a white straw hat to shade her from the sun.

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Elsewhere, her fellow ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly was living it up with Myleene Klass and Steph McGovern, as the trio raised a glass during a celebration with Champagne Lanson.

And Pixie Lott and Jameela Jamil were spotted smiling for the camera at the Evian Mountain of Youth VIP suite.

Sir Trevor McDonald arrives on day one of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
Sir Trevor McDonald looked dashing as he arrived at the tournament (Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
Sir Cliff Richard gives a thumbs up to the camera at Wimbledon
Sir Cliff Richard gave a thumbs up to the camera (Picture: James Veysey/Shutterstock)
Poppy Delevingne, Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark, Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece and Charles Delevingne attend the Wimbledon Tennis Championships
Poppy and Charles Delevingne sat either side of Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark and Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece (Picture: Karwai Tang/Getty Images for Ralph Lauren)

Iconic broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald was seen out and about at the starry event, while Sir Cliff Richard flashed a thumbs up to the camera as he made his way through the site.

And back in the stands, there was actual royalty as Poppy and Charles Delevingne were seen sitting either side of Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark and Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece.

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