The Princess of Wales was inundated with hugs as she was given a tour of a newly-revamped London museum by schoolchildren today.
Kate, 41, officially opened the Young V&A (formerly known as the V&A Museum of Childhood) in Bethnal Green, ahead of its opening to the public on Saturday 1 July.
And as the Princess took part in a storytelling session, she revealed that her children love telling her stories. See highlights from her visit in the clip below...
Local schoolchildren, parents and teachers have played a critical role during its three-year transformation, contributing ideas for the displays and architectural features.
The museum houses three new galleries called Play, Imagine, and Design. Each has been conceived for specific age groups, from babies to teens, with nearly 2,000 objects from the V&A's collections presented in new and playful ways, designed to inspire children's own creativity.
Kate spent time with children in each of the galleries during her visit, and met with staff, supporters and donors who have made the reopening of the museum possible.
The Princess became the first royal patron of the V&A in 2018, and has carried out several visits to its museums and buildings. Her patronage ties in with her interest in visual, photography and design, while her latest outing links to her focus on the early years and how our experiences in the first five years of our lives shape adulthood.
© GettyKate wore a pink Beulah London dress for her engagement, which she first sported at Wimbledon in 2021. She teamed her ensemble with a pair of white heels and her Mappin & Webb diamond earrings.
The Princess met with schoolchildren from the local Globe Primary School to see their inventions and listen to their stories. The group of year three students proudly showed the royal their creations in the build-it area of the museum where they were encouraged to make anything they liked from blocks and tubes.
© Getty
© GettyIn the 'Imagine' area of the museum, Kate met with another group of schoolchildren who were excited to tell her the stories they had written based on objects in the museum.
Hands flew up when the Princess asked if anyone wanted to share theirs, with one young child telling a story about a butcher getting "whacked in the head", another about the Tardis and one more about a father accidentally spitting out food.
Kate said: "He was laughing so much it went everywhere, oh no!"
© Getty
Speaking about her own three children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Prince Louis, she said: "They tell me stories all the time. George was brushing his teeth and suddenly his tooth fell out."
When leaving the museum, Kate said: "I would love to come and do some more storytelling too, I'll bring my kids next time. I've had a really fun time, thank you, keep up the storytelling."
© Getty
© GettyDr Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, said: "What this place is about is how you create cultural confidence and creative enjoyment in the early years through objects, design, play and imagination. Because [the Princess] is across the research on this, she understood what we were trying to do with the museum."
The V&A family includes museums in South Kensington, Dundee in Scotland and the Wedgewood Collection near Stoke-on-Trent, while a new location in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, V&A East, is due to open in 2025.
It comes after the royal mum-of-three stepped out on Tuesday to officially open a family-friendly residential centre, which helps women going through the justice system, in Southampton. Kate was reunited with the royals' family friend and Princess Diana's goddaughter, Lady Edwina Grosvenor, as she was given a tour of the Hope Street centre.
© Getty
© GettyKate is expected to be among the royals at Wimbledon next week as it kicks off on 3 July. The Princess is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and appeared in a short film with Swiss tennis star, Roger Federer, over the weekend, to highlight the important role of the Wimbledon Ball Boys and Girls.
© Thomas Lovelock - AELTC
© Thomas Lovelock - AELTCThe Princess, who is a huge tennis fan, impressed royal watchers with her skills as she played in a doubles match with the eight-time Wimbledon champion.
