Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp and his family were left stunned when the Princess of Wales paid a visit to their home — even taking off her shoes in the hallway out of politeness.
The musician, 64, who is currently appearing on I’m A Celeb, and wife Shirlie, 63, offered their royal guest some of their home-pressed apple juice to take away, according to their son Roman, 32.
Roman, a TV and radio presenter who finished third on I’m A Celeb in 2019, said the future Queen became an unexpectedly familiar face to the family after they connected through a mental-health project.
He told The Sun he first met Kate on a Zoom call arranged by palace officials, expecting it to involve dozens of people — only to discover he was speaking to her one-to-one.
Roman said he presumed dozens of people would be taking part in the online chat and was taken aback to find himself having a one-to-one chat with the princess.
He said: "I was expecting a load of people on the call and couldn’t believe it when it turned out to be just me and her."
When Kate asked if they could do some filming in Roman's home, he responded that his parents' house was "much nicer".
His mum Shirlie then "raced out" shopping and "suddenly the future Queen is having tea and biscuits with her and my dad!”
Roman added: “I remember when she arrived she could see everyone else had taken their shoes off so she offered to take hers off.
“It was surreal. Somehow you never expect to see a member of the Royal Family in their socks!
“Later, my parents gave her some of the apple juice which they press in their garden to take home as a little gift."
The princess later wrote the Kemps a "lovely letter" thanking them for their hospitality and saying that Prince George "loved the juice".
Roman added that it was "amazing" to work with Kate, and that she had also written him a thank you note which he has framed on his wall.
The TV host also opened up about some of the battles his family faced many years ago, when his father was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Roman was aged just three at the time and sister Harley Moon was seven, and he recalls seeing his father with no hair. The family even sold their house and car to pay for medical bills.
Roman said: "Mum and dad never made it scary for us as kids, but it definitely brought us closer and made us pretty insular as a family and it definitely made their marriage even stronger."
He added that it was "extraordinary" his dad was in the jungle after everything he had been through but warned fellow contestants “he can’t cook”.
