Shirley Ballas has opened up about the Princess of Wales' secret visit to the Strictly Come Dancing studios back in December. Towards the end of the year, it was revealed that Princess Kate accompanied her two youngest children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, during a fun-filled set visit where they took turns in the glitzy judges' seats.
During a new interview with The Sun, head judge Shirley revealed just how well-behaved the royal children were and how enthusiastic little Louis, who turned six on Tuesday, appeared when Princess Charlotte was gifted a fake crown.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"They are beautiful," gushed Shirley. "When they visited we had these crowns on set, so I thought it would be a nice idea to give the little girl a crown and I got him a nice box of sweets.
"Then he went, 'I want one of those,' and pointed at the crown. So we had to go and find him a little crown."
The TV star added: "They're beautifully polite children. They had an absolute ball. We have photos, but I didn't want to post them. I think it's more private for her. I was just glad she was able to come in and have a great day. They all watch Strictly."
© Max Mumby/IndigoPrincess Kate, 42, and her two children also met with beloved hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, in addition to some of the show's professional dancers such as Dianne Buswell and Nadiya Bychkova. The trio were then given a tour of the costume department.
LISTEN: We discuss the gorgeous new portrait of Prince Louis released for his birthday
It's no secret that key members of the royal family are avid fans of the hit BBC ballroom show. Back in 2019, Prince William revealed that his wife Kate, and his mother-in-law Carole Middleton are huge fans.
SEE: When the royals show off their dance moves
Speaking to judge Shirley and host Claudia at a charity gala, the Prince of Wales explained: "I have watched the show [Strictly] a couple of times. Catherine is a huge fan and my mother-in-law loves it."
It doesn't stop there as King Charles and Queen Camilla never miss an episode of the show. During an exclusive chat with HELLO! in October 2019, host Tess Daly confessed: "Camilla is a fan, she has been to visit us in the studio before and she spent half a day with us and it was wonderful, she was absolutely part of the whole process during the dress rehearsals, at the judge's desk, handling the panels and she really enjoyed her day.
"She's such a lovely lady and she actually invited all of our crew to Buckingham Palace two years ago and we filmed part of our routine there for Christmas."
The presenter added: "She is a patron of the Osteoporosis society, so she hosted it for members of the charity in the ballroom in Buckingham Palace. It was just wonderful and she was part of it and she had a dance with our pros and it was just such a wonderful day, so it's a huge compliment that her and Charles are fans of the show."
