FIFTY Oxford Spires Academy students were among those invited to an enchanting secret performance of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe hosted by the Duchess of Cambridge in London.

They were warmly welcomed by Kate, who recognised the East Oxford secondary school pupils from her visit to the city earlier this year as patron of the Oxford-based charity The Art Room.

Teacher Helen Woolley said: “The Duchess of Cambridge came over to our group and said ‘I recognise your badge. I remember your uniforms as a sea of purple.’”

Pupil Aisha Dami said: “She approached us and shook people’s hands.

“I said, ‘we’ve spoken before!’ She remembered our school and said she hoped we were enjoying the trip and being in London. We all said we were and then discussed the amazing performance.”

The students were treated to the spellbinding production of Oxford author CS Lewis’s classic story on Friday and chatted with the Duchess during the interval.

The show was staged by the ThreeSixty Theatre company in Kensington Gardens.

Wearing a stylish blue dress and a smart blazer, Kate asked the students if they liked Turkish Delight – the sweets with which the White Witch of Narnia tries to lure away Edmund in the story – and then joked that if they screamed too loudly she would know who they were.

Sarah Bakheit, 14, said: “The Duchess asked us all if we were enjoying the performance. I replied that I was, and asked her the same thing.

“She said she didn’t know where to look as there were so many things going on, and that she was enjoying it.

“She said she was very excited about seeing Aslan the lion in the second half.”

After her high-profile visit to Oxford in February, Kate’s magic touch shows no sign of waning.

Fourteen-year-old Faizan Javaid said: “The best part of our trip was the opportunity to meet the Duchess in person and also to see an extraordinary performance.”

Head girl, 17-year-old Siobahn McClusky, said: “The musical was mesmerising and so cleverly done. To attend was an absolute privilege. I am so grateful to have been invited by the Duchess.”

And Yeliz Auguoz, 15, said: “We were told to form a group and the Duchess would come to see us. She came and spoke to us and shook our hands.”

All the schools at the event work with The Art Room.

Juli Beattie, founder and director of The Art Room, said: “Having a royal patron like the Duchess of Cambridge is fantastic for a small charity like us.”