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Lifestyle
Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse

Roman Kemp says that seeing Kate Middleton in his ‘family home’ without ‘any shoes on’ was the ‘weirdest thing’

Roman Kemp and Kate Middleton

Radio host Roman Kemp has revealed that when Kate Middleton visited his 'family home' for a project, it was the ‘weirdest thing’ to see her without ‘any shoes on’ as she followed the house rules to remove footwear before coming inside. 


We may see Kate Middleton doing the school-run, keeping her kids busy with creative summer activities, and making sure keep her and Prince William's children safe with her quick 'mum reflex' just like any average parent, but it's impossible to forget that the mum-of-three is the Princess of Wales and one of The Firm's most senior members. 

But while her children sit second, third and fourth in the royal line of succession, radio host Roman Kemp, who is part of Kate's 'Shaping Us campaign', shared how the Princess visited his family home and was still 'respectful' enough to take 'her shoes off at the door' and sit chatting with his family at their home. 

In an interview with The Times, Roman recalled how he first met with Kate when she called him after his BBC documentary Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency was broadcast. 

He said the meeting was 'an honour' but added that is was 'one of the weirdest things' he's ever experienced. 

He shared, "We had a Zoom call, just her and me. And she was like, 'Oh, you know, I can come over to your place and do it there.' And I just said, 'No, let's go to my parents'. It's a bigger house. I don't want to bring royalty to a flat in Vauxhall'."

Roman explained how Kate travelled to his family home in Hertfordshire and met the whole family as she sat barefoot 'at the kitchen counter.'

"We were sitting at the kitchen counter, with my mum and dad and my sister with all the dogs, and Kate was there with us," he shared. "The funniest thing was she didn't have any shoes on because she was respectful enough to take her shoes off at the door. That really stuck in my head because you never see royalty with no shoes."

The meeting was filmed for Kate's Shaping Us campaign, which is a cause dedicated to highlighting the importance of early years childhood development. Roman became involved in the project due to his interest and campaigning in the mental health space, with the radio presenter sharing candid details of his own battle with his mental health following the death of his close friend Joe Lyons who died by suicide in 2020. 

In a series of videos posted to the Shaping Us Instagram page, the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram page and Roman's own Instagram page, Roman and Kate spoke openly about the importance of mental wellbeing, healthy relationships, and how caring more for children in the very beginning of their lives can help to build a future society filled with healthy, happy adults.

Roman's meeting with Kate was not the first time he has been introduced to royalty.  In 2019 during his stint on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, Roman revealed that when he once met with Prince William and Prince Harry at a garden party and was 'urged' by Harry 'to throw water balloons at William.' 

Speaking on the show, Roman shared, "One time I had a letter through and it was from Prince Harry to come and DJ at the Buckingham Palace garden party. I was playing a track and someone came over and said ‘Roman come here’ and it was Prince Harry.

"Princess Kate was there and there was a slingshot in the middle. They’ve got a bucket filled with water balloons, and they’re just pinging off these water balloons into the crowd from a balcony.

"He said 'come here'. I've got Harry here holding it, Kate here holding it. I'm like 'what is going on?', he said 'aim a bit to the left' and I said 'who am I aiming for' and he said 'my brother!' I said 'no! I'll be done for treason'!"

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