Duchess of Cambridge records CBeebies bedtime story in chunky knit jumper and jeans

The Duchess of Cambridge will read a CBeebies Bedtime Story to mark Children's Mental Health Week. (Kensington Palace/PA)
The Duchess of Cambridge will read a CBeebies Bedtime Story to mark Children's Mental Health Week. (Kensington Palace/PA)

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The Duchess of Cambridge has donned a cosy jumper and jeans to become the latest famous face to read a bedtime story for CBeebies.

To mark Children's Mental Health Week, the royal sat cross-legged on a rug to read from the modern children’s classic, The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, by Jill Tomlinson.

She was dressed in a £179, cream-coloured Holland Cooper Fair Isle knitted sweater, which is now sold out, and her go-to, stonewash blue cropped jeans, from & Other Stories, which are also currently sold out having been reduced from £65 to £39. However, the jeans are still available in numerous other hues.

The duchess previously wore the Favourite Cut Jeans on a visit to London's Natural History Museum last June, teamed with a blush-pink blazer from Chloé and casual Veja trainers.

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It isn't the first time the Duchess of Cambridge has opted to wear a cosy, Fair Isle-style jumper either, having previously turned to the look to visit a food bank at Old Smithfield Market in December 2020.

The duchess chose to read from this particular book, as it has been a favourite with her own children, Prince George, eight, Prince Louis, six, and Princess Charlotte, three.

It tells the story of Plop, a baby barn owl who is helped by others to overcome his fears and grow in confidence.

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To read the book the mum-of-three is sitting on top of a cosy rug, with a Fair Isle print, in front of a wooden den, in which the familiar smiling CBeebies toy is hiding.

A starry backdrop has been put up behind her, as well as a smoking fire pit.

There are also three stuffed owls, representative of her chosen bedtime story.

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The Duchess of Cambridge wore her & Other story jeans in June 2021 on a trip to the National History Museum. (Getty Images)
The Duchess of Cambridge wore her & Other Stories jeans in June 2021 on a trip to the National History Museum. (Getty Images)

The royal is one of many celebrities who have taken part in the CBeebies network’s Bedtime Stories series, with Reese Witherspoon just last week making an appearance on the popular kids’ show reading Extraordinary! by Penny Harrison.

Last year, Tom Hiddleston chose to read from picture-book Supertato, Ryan Reynolds brought a copy of Where the Wild Things Are, and Chris Evans selected Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site.

Regé-Jean Page, Felicity Jones, David Schwimmer, Alesha Dixon, Eddie Redmayne, Orlando Bloom, Sir Elton John and Dolly Parton have also taken up the bedtime story reading mantle.

To the delight of many mums (and dads!) Tom Hardy has made multiple appearances over the years. Most recently the actor narrated The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson, accompanied by his dog Blue, on Christmas Day.

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Hardy has proved popular in the slot, having previously spent a week during the first lockdown reading a new story each day.

First launched in 2015 by children’s mental health charity Place2Be, of which the duchess is a royal patron, Children’s Mental Health Week is a national event that aims to highlight the importance of the issue.

This year children and their parents or carers are being encouraged to consider how they have grown and how they can help others to grow.

The duchess, whose reading will be screened on Sunday, picked Tomlinson’s book as the story fits in well with this years’ theme of Growing Together.

The Duchess of Cambridge has previously worn a Fair Isle jumper, pictured in December 2020 with husband Prince William. (Getty Images)
The Duchess of Cambridge has previously worn a Fair Isle jumper, pictured in December 2020 with husband Prince William. (Getty Images)

Patricia Hidalgo, director of BBC Children’s and Education, said: “I couldn’t be more proud to have the duchess read a CBeebies Bedtime Story as we mark the 20th anniversary of our CBeebies and CBBC channels.

“It’s such a special and relevant tale and perfectly represents this years’ Children’s Mental Health Week theme. I can’t wait to see her deliver her own take on such a classic story and I’m sure our audience can’t either.”

The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, read by the duchess on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, will be screened at 6.50pm on Sunday.

Additional reporting PA.

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