THE Princess of Wales watched Strictly stars rehearse on a secret studio visit — before her children got the chance to be judges.
Kate took her two youngest, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, along with Zara Tindall’s five-year-old daughter Lena.
They were allowed to sit in the judges’ chairs and deliver verdicts with scoring paddles for dancers Katya Jones and Neil Jones.
Kate, 41, and the youngsters were then introduced to presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, and got to meet pros including Dianne Buswell and Nadiya Bychkova.
They were shown the costume department, where Louis tried on a small gold crown, and stood on the balcony where the contestants gather above the dance floor at BBC’s Elstree studios.
A source said: “Kate and Charlotte are huge fans of Strictly so they were delighted to be invited.
“Kate took pictures of the children in the judges’ seats.
“She seemed really relaxed and was all smiles.
“She was polite, sweet and charming with everyone and made sure Louis didn’t get over-excited.
“There was a strict security lockdown on set and staff were told not to take any photos.
“The children were especially excited and got dressed up. They were thrilled to be on set and to meet their favourite celebrities.”
King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, are also big fans, as was the late Queen.
Last year Camilla met 2021 Strictly champ Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, on the EastEnders set and told her she had voted for her.
Four years earlier Camilla was on the Christmas special, dancing with judge Craig Revel Horwood, pro Brendan Cole and The Sun’s royal photographer Arthur Edwards at Buckingham Palace.
And in 2020, with the nation in the grip of the pandemic, she recorded two messages for the final.
She said: “It’s lifted the whole country’s spirits.
“I’d like, on behalf of everybody who watches Strictly, to say an enormous thank you to everybody who’s been involved in this production in this particularly difficult year.”
