"She said Charlotte really likes it because the whiskers always tickle her face,"

Princess Kate Shares Big News: The Royal Family Has a Hamster – with an Adorable Name!

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During an outing with school children in London on Wednesday, Princess Kate revealed that the royal family has a tiny new member.

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During a chat with kids at the new Magic Garden playground at Hampton Court Palace, 9-year-old Darcey reported that the royal mom “said she had a hamster, and [Princess] Charlotte really likes it because the whiskers always tickle her face.”

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Earlier in the outing, Kate revealed that Charlotte’s big brother, Prince George, would have been “a bit scared” of the playground’s 25-ft. dragon. But the school children in attendance were charmed by the real-life royal in their midst.

As Kate toured the garden, one youngster tugged on the sleeve of the chairman of Historic Royal Palaces, Rupert Gavin, and asked him: “Who’s that?”

The Duchess of Cambridge, he replied.

“Then the child said, ‘Ooh, are you the princess?’ ” says Gavin.

She said: “Just call me Kate.” (When Kate herself had asked the kids her name, they chorused, “Princess Kate!”)

For the school children, it was hard to tell which was the most thrilling part of the day: the arrival of the Duchess or a trip down the playground’s impressive slide.