Carole Middleton spotted with 'secret crush' at Wimbledon years after Princess Kate publicly exposed ‘heartthrob’

While the whole point of the annual Wimbledon tournament is to watch the very best tennis talent from across the world, many people watch on to also catch a glimpse of some of the sporting event's very famous attendees.

We've seen high-profile celebs and royal family members alike take to the highly-coveted Royal Box during this year's Wimbledon, with one of the latest being none other than Kate Middleton's 70-year-old mother, Carole.

Carole, who is happily married to Kate's father, Michael Middleton, took her seat alongside her hubby in Centre Court's Royal Box on Monday (7 July) as they watched the championship's quarter finals action, including Novak Djokovic taking on Alex de Minaur.

And it's clear the pair were in good company as Carole was joined by her 'secret crush' in the invite-only area.

Kate Middleton's mum, Carole, sitting near to her 'secret crush' at Wimbledon earlier this week (7 July) (Karwai Tang / Contributor / Getty Images)

Yep, none other than tennis legend Roger Federer, who is known to be a family friend of the Middletons, and his wife Mirka, also took their seats in the Royal Box.

Royal fans will no doubt remember the time Kate exposed that Roger, 43, was her mum's 'heartthrob'.

In a 2017 BBC doc, titled Sue Barker: Our Wimbledon, the Princess of Wales revealed the little-known fact about her mum.

She began by speaking of her love of tennis:. "I have watched Wimbledon, that was very much part of my growing up. It's such a quintessential part of the English summer, and I think it really inspires youngsters, myself, it inspired me, when I was younger to get involved in the game. It hasn't changed either, I think that's what's so wonderful."

Continuing, Kate then revealed with a laugh: "Roger [Federer] is my mother's heartthrob. I don't think she will mind me saying that! I think he probably knows that too."

There are some pretty strict rules when it comes to the highly coveted 74-seat suite inside Centre Court which is strictly invite-only, meaning no tickets are sold to the general public.

Kate jokingly revealed her mother's 'heartthrob' in a BBC doc back in 2017 (Karwai Tang / Contributor / Getty Images)

Attendance is granted by the All England Club chair based on suggestions from organising committees, the Lawn Tennis Association, and commercial partners.

Those lucky few who make it onto the list include the British royal family.

In addition to the British royals, the official Wimbledon website notes 'overseas royal families are invited as well as heads of government, people from the world of tennis, commercial partners, British armed forces, prominent media organisations, supporters of British tennis, and other walks of life'.

As well as sticking to the rigid dress-code, it's also super important to be on time for a match. Carole and her younger daughter, Pippa, once were denied entry in 2017 for arriving late.