Princess Kate was given a pair of “priceless” trainers for Prince Louis, but he is unlikely to have worn them. The Princess of Wales was handed the Adidas Stan Smith footwear by the 1972 Wimbledon men’s singles champion in 2019.
Stan Smith, the Grand Slam champ turned designer, gave Kate a pair of his iconic trainers in the Royal Box at Wimbledon during the Men’s Singles Final.
The unique gift had also been signed by Smith and personalised with the message “To Louis” written in gold pen on the side.
Royal commentator Ingrid Seward described them as “priceless”, but royal author Phil Dampier recently told The Sun the sports shoes will most probably stay in the prince’s wardrobe.
He said: “Little Louis is unlikely to wear them as they will be extremely valuable, especially as they were given to him.
“He won’t be aware of the history himself of course but when he becomes a teenager I’m sure he will treasure them.”
It may also be the case that since the trainers were given to Kate in 2019, Louis’ feet will have outgrown the shoes by now.
Mr Dampier explained how Stan Smith’s Adidas trainers are an “iconic” design and were trendy in the seventies, long before Nike came on the scene.
He said there is now a lot of interest in the “simpler” and “stylish” designs, making Louis’ pair worth cherishing.
The royal commentator said it is only a matter time before royal fans see Prince Louis and his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince George in the Royal Box on Centre Court. He added: “I’m sure he will meet Stan there one day.”
The younger Waleses’ mum has been a Patron of the Lawn Tennis Association since 2017 and is a keen fan of the sport.
Louis has received a number of special gifts, with a first edition copy of A.A.Milne’s book, Winnie the Pooh, gifted by his uncle Prince Harry, believed to be among them.
Mr Dampier said again that Louis is unlikely to have read that copy, given how precious it will be.
The royal author told The Sun: “It was lovely of Harry to give this precious book to Louis but I expect he has also got a cheaper version so he can read it properly.
“William and Kate wouldn’t want him thumbing his way through the expensive copy and ruining it by damaging some pages.”
