Prince Louis' adorable Strictly Come Dancing request during secret visit with Kate Middleton

Strictly Come Dancing's head judge Shirley Ballas has shared details about the Princess of Wales's secret visit to the show with Prince Louis, revealing his charming request for a crown.

Last year, it emerged that Kate Middleton and her children Princess Charlotte and Louis had made a discreet visit to Elstree Studios to see a rehearsal of the beloved BBC dance competition, as they are all keen fans.

During their visit, which was kept under wraps at the time, the young royals met judges, professional dancers, and hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, reports the Mirror.

It turns out that during their set visit, Charlotte and Louis received a very special treat, enjoying every moment of their experience.

Shirley Ballas told The Sun about the Royal children's visit: "'They are [Charlotte and Louis] beautiful. 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."

She continued, "So we had to go and find him a little crown. 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."

Kate, a known enthusiast of Strictly Come Dancing, has her passion for the show shared by her husband Prince William, who once revealed that both his wife and mother-in-law Carole Middleton enjoy the programme.

The Royal fondness for the BBC series extends to King Charles and Queen Camilla, with the latter expressing her support by voting for 2021 winner Rose Ayling-Ellis during her visit to the EastEnders set last year.

Camilla's appearance on the 2018 Christmas special saw her take to the dance floor with judge Craig Revel Horwood and professional dancer Brendan Cole at Buckingham Palace.

In another Royal connection to the show, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, treated her daughter Lady Louise to a live episode for her 15th birthday back in 2018.

More recently, Strictly's professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova disclosed that Princess Anne expressed interest in participating in the hit dance contest.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, Bychkova recounted Anne's comments from a ballet event last month, where the Princess allegedly said she would like to be part of Strictly's cast. "She is a Strictly fan, and she wants to go on the show - she told me," stated the 34-year-old dancer.

Bychkova added, "She did say that. I think she would be good - there's a lot of personality there, isn't there?"

Speaking about the Royal family's fondness for Strictly, Bychkova said: "They love it, and they watch it all the time. Whenever you see royals at events, they all know what's going on. I'm not from this country so I don't know all the royal etiquette, but you learn through situations, and I just try to be (as) respectful as I can when I meet the royals. It just blows your mind to think how big this show is."

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