“What a fantastic idea to have all these pieces to learn from – so they’re not just behind the scenes and stored away somewhere. You can see them in person and up close,” said Catherine.
“What an opportunity for everyone to see historic pieces first hand,” she said, praising the “eclectic” collection.
Catherine was shown around the store’s cavernous rooms by the museum’s director Tristram Hunt and she saw examples of conservation work on textiles in the collection.
Mr Hunt showed the princess some examples of textiles by the Victorian designer, William Morris, and she said how much she liked the foliage design.
She spoke to the museum director about how some of the historic textiles on show could still look contemporary.
The museum stores, free to visitors, has an “order an object” service which allows visitors to book an appointment to see an object close up and get information about it from museum staff.
According to royal sources, the purpose of the visit was to highlight the importance of creative opportunity and to celebrate the “power of creativity”.