Many youngsters wonder what it's like to be a princess, and on Monday, Kate indulged two schoolgirls as she revealed her favourite thing about being a member of the royal family. The Duchess of Cambridge, who was on an engagement at Paddington train station, spoke to Amelia Kubas, seven, and ten-year-old Mahira Gazi, both from Portway Primary School, in Stratford, east London.
The two girls told the Duchess they are helped by Place2Be, a mental health charity that provides in-school support for children and has Kate as its royal patron. Mahira, who described the royal encounter as "mind-blowing", said: "I asked her what's it like to be a princess, because I'd like to be one, and she said her favourite thing was meeting special people like us."
"She said her favourite thing was meeting special people like us," said Mahira Gazi
Kate was attending a Charities Forum event at Paddington station alongside her husband Prince William and her brother-in-law Prince Harry. The royals spoke to a group of children aboard a Belmond British Pullman train. There are over 30 organisations involved in the Charities Forum, which consists of Their Royal Highnesses' patronages and other organisations with whom they work closely. The royals also met the cast and crew of Paddington II, including Hugh Bonneville, with Kate even enjoying a dance with Paddington Bear.
The Duchess wore a dress by Orla Kiely
Hugh spoke about the new children's film, saying: "Paddington gets into more marmalade scrapes, we have Hugh Grant as our baddie – who, I would like to reassure younger members of our audience, is not quite as scary as Nicole Kidman – and the Brown family are out on an adventure to clear Paddington's name. I don't want to give too much away but it's a wonderful adventure and this is a great way of launching it. It's been wonderful walking down the platform and seeing all these kids so excited."
Kate enjoyed a dance with Paddington Bear
Kate, who wore a pink dress by Orla Kiely, had not been scheduled to attend the engagement as she is still battling severe morning sickness. She made a surprise appearance however, with a Kensington Palace spokeswoman saying that the mum-of-two, 35, is "better but she's still suffering".