Kate Middleton Has Best Response When Little Girl Asks Why She Didn't Wear 'Princess Elsa Dress'
A young Kate Middleton fan learned that real-life princesses don’t always wear dresses!
The royal mom received flowers from two sisters during her visit with Prince William to Cumbria on Tuesday. Although the girls were a bit shy as Kate asked them questions, their dad shared that they were definitely excited about their brush with royalty.
“It’s a princess. You love princesses!” he told the little girl as she shook hands with Kate.
He then turned to the royal and said, “She wanted to know if you’d be wearing your Princess Elsa dress,” referring to the character from Disney’s Frozen.
“I know. I’m sorry,” Kate immediately responded. “I came in my trousers and my coat because I’m going to see some sheep.”
Kate, 37, arrived in the English countryside — where she spent many family vacations “boulder hopping” in the nearby Lake District — wearing a Troy London UK Tracker jacket over a “pie crust” shirt. She accessorized with "Lauren" earrings by Kiki McDonough.
"I tried to do a plait on Charlotte this morning but it didn't really work very well"
Watch the sweet moment The Duchess of Cambridge admires a young girl's plaits and admits she attempted them on #PrincessCharlotte that morning. #RoyalVisit #DuchessofCambridge pic.twitter.com/QSoyWqKU0Y— The Royal Family Channel (@RoyalFamilyITNP) June 11, 2019
And while she was dressed down for the outdoor visit, Kate did channel the Disney character during a Nov. 2017 outing to the Palladium Theatre’s Royal Variety Performance. Her light blue dress by Jenny Packham even featured sparkling sequins and crystals that resembled icicles!
Kate also complimented the girls on their French braid pigtails, telling the young fans that their hairstyles were “so pretty.” She then confessed that her own styling skills needed some work to catch up.
“I tried to do a plait with [Princess] Charlotte this morning, and it didn’t really work very well,” she admitted.
Of course, the royal parents had their children close to mind during their day of royal duties. In fact, Kate told crowds gathered in Keswick that she hoped they would back back in London to pick the kids up from school.
Pretty soon, their school runs will be even easier. Charlotte, 4, will join her big brother, Prince George, 5, at Thomas’s Battersea in September, Kensington Palace announced last month.
“She said Charlotte was looking forward to school,” says Helen Jones, 35, from Carlisle, who brought her 4-year-old daughter Eva along. “She was very friendly.”
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Before they headed off to meet some farmers and take part in the seasonal job of shearing some of the sheep that dot the area’s mountainsides, William and Kate joined a celebration of people and local organizations close to their heart. They met representatives from the mountain rescue service and a drugs advisory group, and young people trained as mental health first aiders. Former air ambulance and air-sea rescue helicopter pilot William, 36, supports rescue teams in Britain’s hillside areas, while Kate has been helping to tackle addictions and the consequences for families.
Following the reception at Keswick’s Moot Hall for the groups — most of whom were helped by grants from the Cumbria Community Foundation — the royal couple walked through the Market Square meeting some of the crowds who had gathered to chat to them.
They then headed to a traditional mountain sheep farm, to meet farmers and hear about some of the key challenges farmers are facing, and helped with some of the activities like shearing. Farming and agriculture on some of the most challenging terrain in the U.K., and the income from millions of tourists drawn to Lake District — which was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2017 — are the key industries in the county of Cumbria.
