IT may have been the home of the Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

But it was the children from Oxford’s Helen and Douglas House hospice who were treated like royalty as they were invited to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House, the Royal couple’s London residence.

It is the sixth year youngsters from the Magdalen Road hospice have been invited to decorate the tree.

Yesterday, eight children who have a variety of life-limiting conditions made their way to the palace to meet the Duchess and decorate the tree.

Among them was Thomas Laurie, eight, from Bicester, who has a genetic condition which causes premature ageing called Cockayne Syndrome.

His mum, Catherine Laurie, who travelled up in a minibus with the excited youngsters, said: “It was very exciting but really relaxed.

“You kind of imagined it to be quite formal but everyone was lovely and friendly and Thomas had a lovely time.

“We met the Duchess of Cornwall and some of her staff, and a guardsman who Thomas was very taken with.”

She said the event had been perfect for Thomas, who loves Christmas.

She said: “He got up very early this morning because he was so excited and as soon as he saw the tree, his little face lit up and he got stuck in decorating.”

Dylan McDermott, 15, from Stonesfield, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, has met the Duchess before, when she visited the hospice in 2009.

The Duchess is the patron of the hospice.

Dylan said: “It was amazing. I loved it all really.

“She was very kind and kept coming around and saying hello to everyone, asking questions about where we live and what we like.

“I really enjoyed today.”

Amy Rose Legge, 10, from Calne, Wiltshire, said she had also enjoyed the experience.

“She said: “I liked it, it was exciting and the Duchess was really nice.”

The Duchess shared lunch and festive treats with the group, before helping hand out goodie bags to each of the youngsters.

Sarah Browne, play specialist at the hospice, said the experience had been lovely for the children.

She said: “They were just warm and welcoming and it was a really nice atmosphere.

“They were made to feel really special and all treated as an individual as well, and because they have such a large number of staff at the house they were all waited on and constantly being asked if there as anything they needed. They took a genuine interest, which made a big difference.”

She said that she had been very impressed with the Duchess’s friendly manner and how natural she was with each of the children, who were aged between three and 15.

Miss Browne said: “It could have been quite overwhelming but she made it really comfortable for them.”