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Princess Charlotte learning ballet after a 'little introduction' from the Royal Opera House

Princess Charlotte with her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge - AFP
Princess Charlotte with her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge - AFP

Princess Charlotte has developed an interest in ballet after being given a "little introduction" by a member of the Royal Opera House, the Duchess of Cambridge has disclosed.

The Duchess mentioned three-year-old Charlotte's interest as she thanked a member of the Royal Opera House, adding that her "lucky" daughter has been "so keen ever since".

It is understood that she was referring to her mother and daughter trip to the Royal Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House in December, when they watched a rehearsal ahead of the opening night.

According to royal staff, the duchess is "passionate" about learning more on textiles and costume design due to her family history, with her great-great grandfather running the family's successful textile manufacturing company, Francis Martineau Lupton, in Leeds.

Principal dancers from The Royal Ballet, Lauren Cuthbertson, Laura Morera, Vadim Muntagirov and Tomas Mock, met the Duchess to explain how their costumes work as they perform, before she watched a rehearsal of the Two Pigeons ballet, which premieres on Friday.

The Duchess of Cambridge watches Royal Ballet Principal Dancers Lauren Cuthbertson and Vadim Muntagirov rehearsing The Two Pigeons  - Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley
The Duchess of Cambridge watches Royal Ballet Principal Dancers Lauren Cuthbertson and Vadim Muntagirov rehearsing The Two Pigeons Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley

Ms Morera explained her excitement at fitting into a costume she had first worn when she graduated from the Royal Ballet School in 1995, joking: "It was rewarding as a woman."

Later, the Duchess asked the dancers if they "like having the feeling of structure" in their costumes, to which Ms Cuthbertson quipped: "I like to have as much stretch as possible!"

The royal visitor also commented on the build of the dancers, saying: "I was asking if the men's costumes had shoulder pads and they said 'no they don't need them'," adding that after seeing the dancers the reply now "makes more sense".

Duchess of Cambridge looks at a costume with head of dye deparment Parveen Banga - Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley
Duchess of Cambridge looks at a costume with head of dye deparment Parveen Banga Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley

Artists from The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera House use up to 10,000 costumes each year.

The costumes department is responsible for storing and refurbishing opera and ballet costumes, some dating back to 1861. Many of these are used time and time again, with the entire refurbishment of a costume taking the workroom around 1,500 hours.

During her visit the duchess also visited the pattern room, where she was shown the process of working and creating costumes for a new production with designers, including sourcing fabrics and samples.

The Duchess of Cambridge visits the Royal Opera House - Credit: PA
The Duchess of Cambridge visits the Royal Opera House Credit: PA

The Duchess was then shown the dye shop, where staff showcased different techniques including dyeing, hand-painting, staining garments and digital printing which allows the team to reproduce historic fabrics no longer available.

As designers explained the process of creating each costume, she said: "It's wonderful to see the detail and the skill set involved."

She added the team were "so talented" and the costumes were "amazing".