As festive cheer begins to spread across the nation, viewers are eagerly gathering around the TV to watch the Christmas adverts from the UK’s favourite retailers – but some people watching the Lidl offering have been left baffled by the uncanny likeness one character bears to a UK royal.
One of the adorable children in the advert has been compared to nine-year-old Princess Charlotte after viewers noticed her resemblance to the daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The budget supermarket’s ad was directed by Oscar-winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and follows the heartwarming tale of a little girl called Emma.
In the film, titled A Magical Christmas, Emma helps an old lady collect her groceries after they spill all over a snow-laden sidewalk.
The lady rewards her simple act of kindness by giving Emma a pair of magical bells with the power to make her siblings’ wishes – from sweet treats to stuffed toys – come true.
But, in the true spirit of Christmas, the heroine of Lidl’s ad makes a wish to send one of her own presents – a warm beanie – to the young boy she’d noticed earlier in the day.
Lidl released its Christmas advert last week. Directed by Oscar-winner Tom Hooper, it follows the story of a little girl called Emma making a wish to share her presents with another child
The boy was too cold to join the other children playing in the snow but, wearing Emma’s gift, he returns the following day – ready for a sleigh ride with Emma.
Although they were meant to be focused on the festive message behind Lidl’s ad – and the nod to their annual Toy Bank scheme – viewers could not help but compare the child actor who plays Emma to Princess Charlotte.
One baffled watcher said: ‘The girl in this advert looks like Princess Charlotte.’
Another pointed out the same thing on X and tweeted: ‘Doesn’t the girl in this year’s Lidl Christmas ad look like the lovely Princess Charlotte and, of course, our late Queen Elizabeth II too?’
A third agreed and said: ‘She is the double of the Princess!’
While Lidl’s budget may not have stretched far enough to cast the real Princess Charlotte, they were lucky enough to get Ríona Gallagher onboard.
The ten-year-old from Country Antrim in Northern Ireland has been acting since she was seven and has bagged roles in TV, film as well as on-stage.
Ríona told MailOnline: ‘I like that people think I look like Princess Charlotte because she is very pretty and she is a princess!
‘It’s a nice thing for people to say.’
In a strange coincidence, she points out that her name – Ríona – is derived from the Gaelic word rona, meaning queen.
Royal fans have compared Lidl’s star actor Ríona Gallagher, ten, to Princess Charlotte, nine
Ríona is from Country Antrim in Northern Ireland and has been acting since she was seven
In a strange coincidence, Ríona’s name is derived from the Gaelic word rona, meaning queen
Although they were meant to be focused on the festive message behind Lidl’s ad, viewers could not help but compare the child actor who plays Emma to Princess Charlotte
Ríona’s mother is delighted that people are comparing her daughter to the princess – a resemblance she has been pointing out for years.
Asked if she would consider playing Princess Charlotte in a TV series or film, Ríona said: ‘Definitely! I would love to get to play a princess – that would be so much fun!
‘Maybe I’d get to go in a palace!’
Princess Charlotte of Wales was born on May 2, 2015 – making her nine years old.
The second child and only daughter of the Prince, 42, and Princess of Wales, also 42, Charlotte has already won the hearts of royal fans across the country.
With her cheeky yet sassy personality, the young princess has often been seen keeping her brothers in line, playfully cringing at her parents’ public displays of affection, and stylishly coordinating outfits with her most fashionable relatives
Princess Charlotte of Wales was born on May 2, 2015 – making her nine years old
Charlotte has already won the hearts of royal fans across the country. Pictured: The princess attends Trooping the Colour in 2023 with her older brother Prince George (left) and younger brother Prince Louis (centre)
In June, Princess Charlotte appeared to take her role as an older sister very seriously at the Trooping the Colour.
During the parade, she was spotted telling her younger brother Prince Louis off, not once, but twice during the annual celebration.
The sisterly moment led royal fans to liken the young Princess to her great-grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth as they compared it to an occasion when the monarch told off her grandson Prince William in 2016.
A TikTok page even posted a video comparing the two moments with enthusiasts saying that Charlotte is the ‘new Queen’ and that she keeps her siblings grounded as the late Queen Elizabeth once did.
Princess Charlotte is currently third in line to the throne.
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