Kate Middleton’s surprise visit to meet National Marine Aquarium staff in 2022 can be seen tonight on BBC Two’s Secrets of the Aquarium

The Princess of Wales will appear in BBC Two’s Secrets of the Aquarium tonight.

Kate, 41, made a surprise visit to staff at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth in July 2022, when she also attended a Protect Our Future class with young people and watched the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix.

The BBC programme, which received a four-star review for its first episodes, is a six-part documentary and was filmed in the last six months of 2022.

It shows how much planning goes into caring for the animals in the depths of Plymouth. Kate appears in the season finale, airing at 6:30 p.m., to take a look at the aquarium’s seagrass conservation project.

Ahead of the Princess’s visit, an excited staff member practices her bow, before explaining how a royal visit to the project ‘made people sit up and listen to what we do’.

The seagrass team has spent the past year nurturing seedlings at the aquarium for outplanting into the wild, with extraordinary success, the program said.

Their next challenge is to convince people not to damage the fragile new pastures. With that in mind, they invited the princess to visit the project, and she accepted.

Kate, wearing a dark jumper with white nautical stripes, paired with £199 Holland Cooper white linen shorts with gold buttons, shows interest in planting the seedlings in the scenes airing tonight.

Esther, seagrass education officer, says: ‘It doesn’t matter how many people hear about it [seagrass]it’s still happening down there, out of sight, beneath the waves.’

The team member is then filmed attempting a greeting perfect for royalty, saying, “I hope we don’t get too impressed.” Shall we bow?’

About Kate’s visit, Esther says: ‘She came and stood next to me. We showed her what to do and yes, that was exciting, literally standing shoulder to shoulder with royalty.

‘Kate’s visit was so important. Not only for the aquarium, but also for seagrass, for the project. The royal family’s visit made people sit up and listen to what we do. “Okay, if royalty is interested, it has to be something worth listening to.”

Kate, 41, made a surprise visit to staff at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth in July 2022, when she also attended a Protect Our Future class with young people and watched the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix

According to the National Maritime Aquarium, the BBC Two show has been 18 months in the making and “shows staff as they face challenges, heartbreak and happiness while caring for more than 5,000 amazing animals.”

The documentary series is narrated by Thick of It and Boat Story star Joanna Scanlan and features stories about caring for animals and conservation efforts.

This includes creating a cozy cave for Larry the lobster, rehoming a turtle from the Maldives, the unforeseen problems of seagrass restoration, connecting people in local care homes to the sea, and lots of content about a cheeky green turtle .

Clare Mottershead, BBC Commissioning Editor, said: ‘We look forward to bringing the wonders of this underwater world to our audiences and sharing the surprising stories of the creatures that call it home and the dedicated team who care for them.’

Olly Reed, Head of Marketing and Communications, added: ‘We’re pleased to be able to showcase the work of our charity and Aquarium to BBC viewers.

‘Our charity is committed to connecting people with the Ocean, so we’re excited to bring that connection to people’s homes across Britain!’