Reese Witherspoon reveals obsession with Kate Middleton after meeting her in person

Reese Witherspoon has opened up about how she "immediately fell" under the Duchess of Cambridge's spell after meeting her in person in 2011. The Hollywood actress was one of the lucky few invited to attend a fundraiser in LA with Prince William and Kate, when the royals were on their first long-haul official tour as newlyweds.

Dedicating a page of her new book Whiskey in a Teacup to Kate, who she calls an "honorary Southern icon," Reese admitted that she was "relatively immune from the obsession with the royals" until she met the Duchess. "The scream that issued from my lips upon receiving [the invitation] – you would have thought I was going to die," Reese wrote in her book. "I wake up early, mind you, but on that day I was up at 4am doing my hair. That's early, even for me. 'I've never seen you this excited,' my husband said. He wasn't kidding."

"She was just lovely and warm, elegant and composed," Reese wrote in her book

She continued: "Jim took pictures of me in the car. You can see rays of happiness shooting out of my face. I love Kate Middleton that much. And she did not disappoint! She was just lovely and warm, elegant and composed. She also told a joke, and I immediately fell under her spell. She's just as magnificent as she seems to be. She's a very compassionate, socially conscious, deeply caring person."

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"She also told a joke, and I immediately fell under her spell," Reese added

Reese, 42, lavished praise on 36-year-old Kate, adding: "What's more, it takes a very special person to decide to commit to that kind of life, to choose to be under public scrutiny every moment. Now that she's in that position, her entire life is in service, forever. I am so in awe of that kind of dedication."

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William and Kate's sweetest quotes:

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The two ladies met during the launch of Tusk Trust's US Patron's Circle; Prince William is patron of the wildlife charity and a known advocate of ending wildlife crime. The reception took place at Santa Barbara, California in July 2011 just three months after William and Kate's wedding, and judging by the look on Reese's face, the Sweet Home Alabama actress had the best time.

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