Royals Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte Had a Special Mother-Daughter Date at 'The Nutcracker' Ballet Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte left the boys at home and took part in a beloved Christmas tradition By Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit is a Royals Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 5, 2018 01:21 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte took part in a beloved Christmas tradition: attending a performance of The Nutcracker! The royal mother-daughter duo left the boys of the family – Prince William, 5-year-old Prince George and 7-month-old Prince Louis – at home and got an early sneak peek of the Royal Opera House’s take on the classic ballet, attending a pre-rehearsal performance last week. Both the Royal Opera House and Kate’s office at Kensington Palace had no comment when reached by PEOPLE. Earlier this year, William revealed that dancing is Charlotte’s favorite hobby. “My daughter Charlotte loves dancing,” he proudly told attendees at a Commonwealth Day reception. The royal family is getting into the holiday spirit. On Tuesday, Will and Kate hosted a Christmas party for military families at Kensington Palace. Unfortunately, Charlotte, 3, was at pre-school school during the event, although her dad joked while making truffles that he didn’t bring his children “because I can’t do this and look after the children!” When the royal parents tried to show Charlotte and George the festivities after they came home from school, it had all been cleared away. “We took the children down to where the party was but everything was gone,” Kate told attendees of Wednesday’s holiday event in Cyprus. “They were so disappointed!” PA Images/Sipa Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Kate was excited to talk about her children during her recent visit with William to Leicester. “They’re doing well, thank you,” she told a fan who asked about the little royals in a video shared by Harry_Meghan_Updates on Instagram. “They’re getting excited for Christmas time, because they’ve started all their Christmas songs and the Christmas trees are going up.” Press Association via AP Images Kate Middleton Says She’s ‘So Bad’ at This Skill: ‘I Have to Make Sure My Children Are Better!’ Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, shared in her first interview ever that she has a special holiday tradition for her grandchildren, sharing that she likes to have as many trees possible in her home, including one for each of her grandchildren’s rooms. Explaining her reasoning, Carole shared it’s “so that they can decorate it themselves.”