She might have been dressed in her least regal outfit of high-street jeans and wellies.
But when the Duchess of Cambridge joined a group of inner city schoolchildren on a camping trip, there was only one thing they wanted to know: just what was it like to be a real princess?
As the group explored the woods and chatted around a bonfire, it fell to Tigerlily Smith to bravely ask the question they all wanted to know the answer to.
‘We asked how it felt to be a princess and she said it was very nice,’ the eight-year-old girl said afterwards.
Campfire chinwag: When asked what it was like to be a princess by eight-year-old Tigerlily Smith during a visit to a camping trip in Kent, the Duchess of Cambridge replied it was 'very nice'
‘She said she got to visit lots of countries but hadn’t seen as many as William. She said William was very sweet and kind and spoiled her.’
She added later that Kate had been had been ‘lovely and very, very pretty.’
The Duchess had joined the children visiting an outdoor bounds-style scheme at the Widehorizons Margaret McMillan House in Wrotham, Kent.
The trip was organised by ARK Schools to give children from deprived backgrounds the opportunity to venture into the countryside and develop their confidence and teamwork skills.
The charitable Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry is supporting ARK in its work and last year William and Kate attended a glitzy fundraising gala in London, their first engagement as a married couple.
Revealing: Kate also told the youngster that she got to visit lots of countries but hadn't seen as many as William and that William was very sweet and kind and spoiled her
On that occasion the Duchess wore a glittering rose Jenny Packham gown and sipped champagne as some of the wealthiest men and women in the capital partied well into the night.
Yesterday, however, it was very much jeans and wellies as she stomped around in the woods with a group of 28 youngsters aged eight and nine.
Unsurprisingly, Kate went into the woods in style: her leather-lined wellingtons cost just under £300 and were made by 80-year-old French bootmaker Le Chameau, which specialises in upmarket country attire.
You want me to go in there? Kate, who was visiting the 'Expanding Horizons' Primary school camp was also impressed with Zahid Shanvere, eight, calling him a 'gentleman' when he held a tent flap open for her
On its website, it boasts that the footwear has ‘full-grain leather’ lining for ‘warmth and comfort’ and is made using the ‘finest craftsmanship’.
Her skin-tight blue jeans, however, were by High Street store Zara and cost just £29.99 as was her khaki jumper. Her matching shirt was by Burberry and her waterproof waistcoat by outdoor clothing company Really Wild.
She also sported heavy make up and her hair had been curled, held back from her face by a black plastic clip.
The children Kate met came from the King Solomon Academy Primary School which is based in North Westminster, London. An area of high deprivation, more than 70 per cent of children under 15 in the area live in a jobless household.
For many of the children, aged between and eight and nine years old, it was the first time they had seen the countryside or been away from home.
Quizzed: Some of the children asked Kate about her job and she replied: 'It's very busy and great fun but I am very well looked after'
On their three-day residential course the children had learnt to sleep in tipi tents and take part in team-building activities including rope challenges, obstacle courses, campfire building and outdoor cooking.
Zahid Shanvere, eight, made Kate roar with laughter as he held open his tent flap for her and said: 'After you.’
‘What a gentleman,’ she said.
She was in fits of giggles again when the children told her that they had been a little scared on their first night out under the stars.
‘What were you scared of? That a spider might creep in?’ She asked.
‘A mole,’ said Zahid, with enormous seriousness.
Then it was out along a muddy path to the woods where the rest of the group were busy making shelters and camp fires.
Fairytale: Another child on the camping trip asked the Duchess how long she would sit on the throne to which Kate said tactfully, 'It's not actually my job yet!'
The Duchess marvelled at their efforts and even gamely crawled inside one of the shelters, sitting down in the dirt with the youngsters.
One could be heard telling her he had been ‘dead scared to go to the toilet’ the night before.
Kate and the children were then shown how to make dough sticks over the camp fire, with the Duchess even trying a small bit of the smokey bread, which had been wrapped around a stick and cooked, and declaring it ‘very nice’.
Some of the children asked her about her job and she replied: ’It’s very busy and great fun but I am very well looked after.’
Another asked her how long she would sit on the throne to which Kate said tactfully, ‘It’s not actually my job yet!’
After joining the youngsters for a private lunch she left by helicopter for Gloucestershire where Prince William was due to play in a charity polo match.
ARK spokesman, Lesley Smith, said the children had enjoyed themselves tremendously.
‘Many of the children here live in flats with no gardens and little area to play. This has been such an experience for them.’ ( dailymail.co.uk )
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