Change of guard in SW19: Queen Elizabeth II to hand over Wimbledon patronage to Kate Middleton

New Delhi: After more than six decades, the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club which hosts the Wimbledon championships, will see a new patron in Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

According to reports in British media, United Kingdom's 89-year-old Queen Elizabeth II is willing to hand over the patronage of the world famous to the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

The octogenarian has been the honorary patron of All England Club for for 64 years.

The Sunday Times also reported that the queen is also likely to hand over the patron-ship of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the governing body of rugby union in England, to her grandson, Prince Harry.

The Queen is understood to be assessing how much time she can now devote to the 628 organisations and charities to which she is affiliated, the daily reported.

The royal family plans to celebrate the queen's 90th birthday this year, which will include public events as well as a private family party in Windsor on April 21, her actual birthday.

(With Agency inputs)