Wimbledon fans were left suffering from second-hand embarrassment following a gaffe by Kate Middleton at the tennis tournament.

It's one of those moments which, though certainly unintentional, leaves your toes curling with the embarrassment for those involved. We've all experienced it when someone else has to go through something humiliating, but managed to take it on the chin.

Princess of Wales Kate Middleton has been at the centre of such second-hand embarrassment in a gaffe at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. However, it wasn't Kate who people were feeling bad for, but one of the ball boys.

During her appearance at the tennis tournament, the ball boys lined up on the court. The Princess of Wales then went down the lines greeting them, as they form an important part of the tournament.

BBC

But viewers were left surprised after it appeared that the Princess of Wales appeared to miss the first person who had lined up to greet her entirely, before continuing to move down the line.

People watching took to social media to express their surprise at the development, which saw the ball boy maintaining his composure despite missing out on his handshake and chat.

One wrote: “Kate came on court speaking to the ball boys and girl. But didn’t she miss out the first ball boy? How do you think he feels about that?”

Another person said: "Kate Middleton just totally blanked the first ball boy and shook hands with all the others, poor fella."

A third replied: “It was very strange, not to mention unfortunate and embarrassing for the poor lad.”

The Princess had attended Wimbledon alongside Prince William and the pair's eldest children, Princess Charlotte and Prince George.

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Kate was praised for showing sympathy to defeated finalist, Ons Jabeur, who lost her second final in a row. The Princess hugged Jabeur after her loss.

She was also present to witness 20-year-old Alcaraz defeat long time champion, Novak Djokovic. Djokovic had been aiming to win his fifth consecutive title at Wimbledon, but was stopped in his tracked by Alcaraz, who described it as 'biggest moment of his life'.

Djokovic gave a conciliatory statement after his defeat, saying: "I haven't played a player like him ever, to be honest.

"Roger and Rafa [Nadal] have their own obvious strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces."