On her latest royal engagement, Queen Consort Camilla revealed she’s planning to take up a new, active hobby that Princess Charlotte has long loved - and we’re sure the youngster will be on hand to offer the Queen some useful tips.
Yesterday [Friday 2 February], Queen Camilla stopped off at the Meadows Community Centre in Cambridge to visit their new dance studio and café set up by volunteers for the Royal Voluntary Service, of which Camilla is the president.
During her visit, she watched on as Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe, known as Jojo, taught the centre's Find Your Feet beginners dance class and apologised for not taking part, saying, "Very nice, I'm sorry I'm not cha-cha-cha-ing."
Despite her watching from the sidelines during the engagement, Camilla, 76, does take part in other dance classes, namely the 'Silver Swans' ballet class for elderly dancers which is run by the Royal Academy of Dance.
But now she's adding a new dance class to her roster. While at the Meadows Community Centre, Jojo presented the Queen with a pair of tap shoes, a gift she was delighted by.
"I would love to do it because I’ve always wanted to tap dance. So in my dotage perhaps it’s something I could take up," she said after receiving the present.
The Firm already has one avid tap dancer in its midst. Princess Charlotte, who sits third in the royal line of succession behind her older brother, Prince George, and her dad, Prince William, has long been known to adore both ballet and tap dancing.
Last year, when speaking with a young royal fan, Kate Middleton revealed, "My daughter Charlotte likes dancing, she loves ballet and tap." Her love for the hobby, at the time, drew lots of royal fans to compare the youngster to her late grandmother Princess Diana, who passed away in 1997 and was known to adore any form of dancing.
With Camilla now taking up the sport, we're sure Charlotte will be on hand to help out with the tricky toe taps. But not only will it be a brilliant bonding activity for the pair, it also has great health benefits.
Speaking about the incredible impact dancing can have on both physical and mental health, Isabelle Casey, who has trained professionally in the discipline, told HELLO! Magazine, "Dancing on the whole is brilliant for people of all ages for so many reasons. It improves your posture, flexibility, core strength as well as your focus and as mentioned your memory. Not to mention the endorphins you get from completing a challenging phrase or routine.
"As a hobby, it's the perfect way to escape from everyday stresses as there are lots of different things to focus on, so you truly come away from a class feeling incredibly refreshed and ready to take on what life throws at you."
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