What you need to know
Duchess Kate invited Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on a quiet, low-key family vacation just days before Christmas.
According to reports, the 43-year-old Princess of Wales took her daughter Charlotte, 10, and youngest son Louis, 10, to the Thursford Christmas Spectacular matinee performance in Norfolk on December 23rd.
Norfolk is home to Sandringham Estate, where the royal family went out on Christmas Day, as well as Anmer Hall, the holiday home of Princess Kate and Prince William.
The Thursford Christmas Spectacular is billed as a “non-stop extravaganza of song, dance, music, humor and variety” featuring a cast of 130. Host Lloyd Hollett told what it was like to welcome Kate and her two children.
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“What a day…Today I was honored to have Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales attend the matinee performance with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis,” Hollett wrote on her Instagram Stories, alongside a photo of an empty theater with Hello! magazine.
“Seeing them enjoying our show in the Royal Box was truly a career highlight. We are definitely in top form and our final performance is beginning,” the comedian continued.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are also parents to son Prince George, 12, who has skipped similar events with his mother and siblings in the past. Earlier this month, Prince George and his father, Prince William, helped prepare the annual holiday lunch at The Passage, a charity that supports people experiencing homelessness. The 43-year-old Prince of Wales introduced his son to the organization. Palace sources say the group has deep personal meaning for Prince William, who was taken there by his late mother, Princess Diana, as a child. These early visits helped shape William’s long-standing commitment to the cause and now form the basis of his public service.
In December 2023, Kate took Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on a special visit to the set of Strictly Come Dancing, the British version of Dancing with the Stars.
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At the time, The Sun reported that Charlotte and Louis met hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly after a performance by some of the show’s professional dancers, sat in the judges’ box, and held paddles containing their scores.
Chief Justice Shirley Ballas later said Princess Charlotte and Princess Louis had been given crowns and that the royal children had been wonderful guests.
“They’re beautiful, well-mannered kids. They had an absolute ball,” she told The Sun in 2024.
PEOPLE’s Christmas at the Palace edition has been updated.
