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The Princess of Wales and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, enjoyed a mother-daughter outing on Saturday, choosing an unexpectedly ordinary way to travel through London.
Catherine, 44, and Charlotte, 11, were spotted riding the Elizabeth line through Central London, where they shared a carriage with everyday commuters.
According to a fellow passenger who spoke to HELLO!, Charlotte appeared almost “amazed” as she took in her surroundings during the journey.
The pair travelled on the Elizabeth line, which opened in 2022 during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year. Despite being accompanied by royal security personnel, Catherine and Charlotte sat among other passengers rather than travelling separately from the public.
An eyewitness described how the Princess of Wales and her daughter interacted with people nearby while their protection officers maintained a discreet presence.
The source said: “They spoke to members of the public sitting across from them. They had security with them and Catherine held Charlotte’s hand getting off at Tottenham Court Road. The security didn’t make it obvious they were there and they tried to make it as ‘normal’ as possible.
The fellow passenger also described the relaxed atmosphere between Catherine and Charlotte as they travelled together, with the pair appearing comfortable and cheerful throughout the journey.
Continuing their account, the eyewitness said: “Catherine had her phone with her and was looking at her phone for a couple of minutes. They seemed very relaxed and were chatting together, smiling. It was a brief interaction with people opposite them but they seemed very happy.”
For the Saturday outing, the Princess of Wales appeared to have chosen a coordinated burgundy ensemble, complemented by heels in a matching shade.
After travelling alongside other London commuters, Catherine and Charlotte left the Elizabeth line at Tottenham Court Road station, bringing their shared train journey to an end.
The destination of Catherine and Charlotte’s Saturday outing has not been disclosed, although the Princess of Wales and her daughter have previously enjoyed spending time together at ballet performances.
Among their earlier cultural outings was a visit to Opera Holland Park in July, where they attended a performance by The Royal Ballet School.
For Catherine, travelling on the London Underground would have been a familiar experience from her life before joining the Royal Family. For Charlotte, however, the journey represented a much less common public appearance.
The 11-year-old princess, who is currently in Year 8 at Lambrook Preparatory School in Berkshire, is more accustomed to travelling under carefully arranged royal transport arrangements.
Members of the Royal Family generally make journeys in escorted vehicles or, on some occasions, private helicopters, making Catherine and Charlotte’s decision to ride the Elizabeth line alongside ordinary commuters particularly unusual.
Catherine has previously spoken about her fondness for London’s public transport system. In 2013, she joined the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Baker Street station to celebrate the London Underground’s 150th anniversary.
The Princess, who was expecting her first child, Prince George, at the time, revealed during the engagement that she “missed” using public transport.
A decade later, Catherine and Prince William delighted unsuspecting passengers when they travelled together on the Elizabeth line in 2023.
The royal couple took the train to Soho, where they visited a pub to find out how hospitality workers across London were preparing for the celebrations surrounding King Charles’s coronation.
Down-to-eаrth royals
Princess Diana was determined to give her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, a childhood that included as many ordinary experiences as possible, despite their royal status.
Speaking to HELLO! in 2022, a former royal protection officer recalled Diana’s hands-on approach to motherhood and her efforts to ensure that the young princes enjoyed everyday activities.
The former officer explained: “Although the boys had nannies, she was a hands-on mum and was always with them in their nursery or bringing them down to the kitchen for breakfast.
“They were allowed to have their friends for sleepovers and she’d let them bring them on holidays, too… She took them to Thorpe Park – where they had to queue for the rides like everyone else – a London bus and the underground, and to burger bars and restaurants such as Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers.
Diana also made a point of taking William and Harry on ordinary shopping trips, allowing them to experience simple activities that other children might take for granted.
The former protection officer recalled: “She even took the boys to M&S to buy William’s favourite sausages, which they found exciting, but Charles couldn’t understand because they had the finest chefs at Kensington Palace.”
Further details of Diana’s efforts to give her sons a more conventional childhood emerged in Ken’s 2017 book, Guarding Diana.
He revealed that, in 1992, Prince Harry expressed a wish to travel aboard one of London’s iconic red buses. Rather than taking the usual chauffeur-driven journey, the royal bodyguard arranged for Diana and the boys to ride a Routemaster bus to Smollensky’s Balloon restaurant on The Strand.
