Kate Middleton's apology to fan who thought she'd look like Cinderella

The Duchess of Cambridge visits the Bulldogs boxing club. Photo / Getty Images

The Duchess of Sussex has apologised to a young fan today, after "not wearing a pretty dress" on a royal visit.

Three-year-old Annabel Costella and her mum Rhian met the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William when the couple visited the RNLI Mumbles Lifeboat Station in Mumbles, Wales, today.

Rhian shared that her daughter was so excited to meet a "real princess" as she loves fairy tales and Cinderella. The pair then managed to greet the Duchess after the couple arrived.

Rhian explained to the Duchess that her daughter was looking forward to meeting a princess in the flesh, to which Kate responded: "I'm really sorry I'm not wearing a pretty dress today."

The three-year-old then replied to the Duchess: "I thought you'd look like Cinderella."

Rhian recalled to the Daily Mail: "My daughter and I met Kate Middleton today at Mumbles pier, where we waited an hour to see her.

Kate was wearing a long, navy maxi coat from Hobbs, as well as a red knitted dress and a heart-print scarf. Photo / Getty Images

"My daughter loves fairy tales and Cinderella, and she was really excited to meet a real princess.

"We had been really excited so decided to get down to the pier, my daughter's school were also there so we stood with them and chatted to other parents as we waited.

"We were incredibly lucky her car came and stopped right in front of us and she came straight over to us", Rhian revealed.

"I said, 'Thank you so much for coming to visit us in Wales.' And she said, 'We always like coming back to Wales since we lived in Anglesey'."

Kate then greeted Annabel in her mother's arms, the two had a memorable exchange and the young fan even nabbed a huge hug.

While she wasn't dressed like Cinderella, Kate still looked immaculate, wearing a long navy coat from upmarket UK clothing store Hobbs, a red knitted dress and a heart print scarf.