Kensington Palace has released a never-before-seen photo of the Princess of Wales as a child enjoying Christmas at home.
In the precious image, a young Kate is pictured at a dining table whilst seated in a wooden chair bedecked with festive tinsel.
© The Middleton Family/Kensington PalaceThe mother-of-three looks adorable in a red and blue striped dress complete with ruby red buttons and a crisp white collar. She is dressed in a navy cardigan and can be seen wearing a technicolour necklace composed of yellow, white, blue and green beads.
In the sweet throwback snap, Kate resembled her youngest son, Prince Louis, as she appeared to tuck into a bowl of Christmas food.
© Getty ImagesThe Prince and Princess of Wales also posted the image on their official Instagram account, much to the delight of royal fans. They captioned the snap: "Sharing some festive memories this Christmas because #ShapingUs is all about the vital importance of our early years and the role played by those around us in shaping the rest of our lives."
Fans flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts, with one writing: "Omg what a gorgeous photo of baby Catherine. Louis is her twin. What a lovely surprise! Thank you for sharing," whilst a second chimed in: "Adorable! Louis looks a lot like her."
A third commented: "Prince Louis looks like his mama," and a fourth sweetly added: "Not me having the same placemats growing up."
© Getty ImagesThe charming image was taken during a family Christmas in 1983, seemingly at Kate's childhood home in Berkshire. It has been released ahead of Princess Kate's 'Together at Christmas' Carol Service which is set to air on Christmas Eve on ITV at 7.45pm.
This year the service focuses on the vital importance of early years and the role played by people shaping future generations, as part of the Shaping Us campaign.
In the lead up to Christmas, Kensington Palace will be inviting others to share images of their earliest Christmas' on their social media channels.
Kate launched her Shaping Us campaign back in January. It aims to improve society's understanding of the importance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and society as a whole.
HELLO! understands that the Princess of Wales sees the early years and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood as her "life's work". Kate said: "The way we develop, through our experiences, relationships and surroundings during our early childhood, fundamentally shapes our whole lives.
© Getty Images"It affects everything from our ability to form relationships and thrive at work, to our mental and physical well-being as adults and the way we parent our own children.
"These are the most preventative years. By focusing our collective time, energy and resources to build a supportive, nurturing world around the youngest members of our society and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to the health and happiness of generations to come."
The campaign has the support of several famous faces, including the likes of Professor Green, Fearne Cotton, Giovanna Fletcher, Zara McDermott and Leah Williamson.
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