Princess of Wales makes rare royal exception dancing barefoot at Hindu temple

The Princess of Wales enjoyed a barefoot dance inside a Hindu temple during a visit to Leicester in the UK's East Midlands.

The 44-year-old was in the city to celebrate culture and community, the day after the Hindu Festival of Holi.

Traditionally for the celebration of spring, also known as the "festival of colours", people wear white, so Kate stuck with tradition in a cream Ralph Lauren wool dress with a pleated skirt.

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On top, the royal added a bespoke Chris Kerr coat, which she'd previously worn for her Christmas carol concert in 2023.

The Princess of Wales accessorised with earrings from Sézane as well as a clutch by Emmy London, while the pearl and rose necklace, known as a haar was gifted to her on her arrival at the Aakash Odedra Company.

Kate started her day meeting the winning choreographer and dancer before watching a rehearsal of the dance company's latest work.

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The princess briefly hesitated to clap before anyone else after the performance ended, prompting someone to joke, "You can clap now", which left the royal laughing.

After watching the Bollywood dancers perform, the mum of three marvelled at their energy and said one of her kids in particular would enjoy it.

"My children would love that, they love their dancing. Louis would love your dance routine," Kate said, according to Telegraph UK.

Then it was on to visit a number of family-run businesses on Leicester's famous area known as the "Golden Mile".

The Golden Mile has one of the highest concentrations of Indian jewellery, sari and fashion boutiques in the UK.

It also offers authentic cuisine, sweets, and chai (tea) shops, with the Princess of Wales sampling some of the goods after looking at saris in Ladlees.

Kate revealed she's "OK with spice" as she spoke with the owners of Bobby's restaurant.

"I love coriander and chilli, but William is less of a fan of coriander."

After the taste testing, the princess carried on to the Hindu temple Shreeji Dham Haveli, where a long floral garland went on and the Gianvito Rossi suede heels came off.

The royal looked to her hosts for guidance but appeared to pick up the moves quite quickly, dancing with a group of women with a big smile on her face.

Though it's a rare royal exception to whip off the heels it's by no means the first time the royal has put respect ahead of any notion of protocol.

Kate's previously gone barefoot at mosques and museums as well as inside people's homes and reportedly during a parents' race at her childrens' school in the past.

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