After disappearing for more than a week, the Princess of Wales popped up in Belfast with her husband last Friday. Kate looked tired. Perhaps she was exhausted from pretending to work like a peasant for five minutes at IKEA. Well, there’s no rest for the weary, because Kate pulled another stunt on Saturday. For the first time ever, Kate took her daughter on a train, to show Charlotte how the peasants travel. Kate, Charlotte and several plainclothes royal protection officers were seen on the Elizabeth Line in London, going from west London to Tottenham Court Road.
It is thought to be the first time Charlotte has been seen on the capital’s rail network – used by four million people per day. But mum Kate, 44, has previously travelled on the London Underground but ‘nobody recognised her’.
It is understood the pair got on in west London and disembarked at Tottenham Court Road in central London. While it is not known what mum and daughter got up to in London on their girls day out their destination is close to The British Museum, popular theatres, bars and restaurants in Soho, and shopping on Oxford Street.
The Elizabeth Line is the newest Tfl line is a far cry from the royal carriages, helicopters and motorcades Kate uses when on official royal duty.
A fellow passenger told The Sun it was “surreal”: And added: “It was really unexpected to see the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte on the Elizabeth Line. It was really so unexpected.”
The girls’ trip echoes Princess Diana‘s mission to take Princes William and Harry on day trips that other normal kids went on to avoid them becoming out of touch with their royal status.
Diana often took her sons on London buses and the London Underground.
And it comes after Meghan was surprisingly seen in London last week – despite Harry previously claiming the capital was too dangerous for her. She was seen out for a posh dinner in Claridge’s with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. And Meg was photographed in the street outside waving farewell to her pal.
I enjoy the Sun connecting the dots – oh, right, Meghan was seen in London last week, having tea with her dear friend, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. That’s why Kate was suddenly sent to the London Underground with Charlotte. Hello Magazine had their own coverage of the tube trip, with a source saying that Charlotte “looked almost amazed” by the experience. I’ll be fair – growing up in the suburbs, I didn’t ride on a subway until I was an adult, and I found it pretty amazing too. If you didn’t grow up as a subway-rider, the whole experience is eye-opening.
Royal Exclusive: The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte on the busy London Underground for day trip into the capital. Full story and video in @TheSun with @ed_southgate
https://t.co/GRdwlh21fl
— Matt Wilkinson (@MattSunRoyal) October 11, 2026
Princess Kate and Charlotte spotted riding on the tube https://t.co/X8PjUAweNI
— The Sun (@TheSun) October 11, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- British royals William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales with children Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Whilst atteding, Their Royal Highnesses will also meet Team Wales athletes and their families, as well as spending time with those supported by SportsAid, of which The Princess is Patron. This will include the next generation of national competitors being supported through their Team England Futures project. The Princess became the Patron of SportsAid in 2013 and has met many young athletes helped by the charity, as well as Olympians and Paralympians who were previously supported by the organization, at training days, performance workshops and fundraising events. Their Team England Futures project will see talented young athletes and aspiring support staff given the opportunity to attend the Glasgow Games and take a first-hand look behind-the-scenes to prepare them to deliver medal-winning performances as Team England, Team GB or ParalympicsGB debutants at future games. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte Where: Glasgow, Unite Kingdom When: 01 Aug 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- 17/12/2025, Windsor, UK. The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte play Erland Cooper’s Holm Sound at Windsor Castle, as featured in the Together at Christmas Carol Service.,Image: 1061506395, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever. All rights reserved., Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 17/12/2025, Windsor, UK. The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte play Erland Cooper’s Holm Sound at Windsor Castle, as featured in the Together at Christmas Carol Service.,Image: 1061506403, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever. All rights reserved., Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 12/07/2026. Wimbledon, UK. The Princess of Wales, Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and The Prince of Wales during the Gentlemen’s Singles Final of The Championships, Wimbledon.,Image: 1116182887, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 12/07/2026. Wimbledon, UK. Princess Charlotte during the Gentlemen’s Singles Final of The Championships, Wimbledon.,Image: 1116182893, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 01/08/2026, Glasgow, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, joined by their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Saturday 1st August 2026 to watch some of the sports fixtures taking place that day.,Image: 1120183420, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Wattie Cheung / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- British royals William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales with children Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Whilst atteding, Their Royal Highnesses will also meet Team Wales athletes and their families, as well as spending time with those supported by SportsAid, of which The Princess is Patron. This will include the next generation of national competitors being supported through their Team England Futures project. The Princess became the Patron of SportsAid in 2013 and has met many young athletes helped by the charity, as well as Olympians and Paralympians who were previously supported by the organization, at training days, performance workshops and fundraising events. Their Team England Futures project will see talented young athletes and aspiring support staff given the opportunity to attend the Glasgow Games and take a first-hand look behind-the-scenes to prepare them to deliver medal-winning performances as Team England, Team GB or ParalympicsGB debutants at future games. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George Where: Glasgow, United Kingdom When: 01 Aug 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- Royals leaving the Hydro Arena after attending the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George Where: Glasgow, United Kingdom When: 01 Aug 2026 Credit: Michael McGurk/Mail on Sunday/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales meeting National businesses representatives during a visit to the IKEA store in Belfast, to learn about IKEA’s work in supporting care-experienced young people on their journey into employment Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Liam McBurney/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales serving customers during a visit to the IKEA store in Belfast, to learn about IKEA’s work in supporting care-experienced young people on their journey into employment Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Liam McBurney/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to The Commons in South Belfast, which is a project that will transform a church at the heart of the diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self-sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
A desperate PR charade
KP collectively doesn’t have a working brain cell between the lot of ’em. IF you’re staging as pathetic a scheme as this, at least make your subjects *visible* easily. Have them smile, and, if need be, make them *fake* that they’re having a good time together. Interact. They look so bored and detached from the scene AND each other.
Might’ve been a tad more “believable” if they weren’t dressed like they’re going to a garden party, and were in jeans and sneakers, sweaters, etc…
Kate is now quite literally feeding her daughter to the tabloids much as her own mother Carole fed Kate to the tabloids back in the days of her uni romance with Willy. Ick. And ick. This poor kid. Being exploited as a prop in a multi-generational publicity campaign. What the actual f*ck is wrong with these people?
It’s soooo much worse. She’s, what 11? After insisting the media would never see them other than a few official engagements. The desperation is something else.
And I’m sure the press will blast her for using her kid that way. Oh, wait, it’s cool, she’s the english rose who can do no wrong.
I don’t know how anyone else feels after reading about Princess Charlotte and her Mother first time taking the London Tube together. But also my mother took me on the train back in the year 1986. shows how old I am. That was a very long time ago and many things are different today, and maybe i just leave it at that.
We don’t actually know this is their first time on the tube together, it may simply be the first time somebody’s caught it on their cell phone. Looks like the RPO did his best to shield them from photos, leaning forward to block the person with the phone.
Oh please! They had someone with them (beside their full security) to take and publish these photos. Do you see any regular person around them? They had the compartment all for themselves to stage these photos. Another “we are so relatable” after the “Kate loves washing the dishes while Willy dries them” stunt. They are so desperate it is comical.
To use Charlotte for a publicity stunt while suing papers over a photo of them skiing is an interesting take on “respect our privacy”.
Secondhand embarrassment. Was this their Day of the Girl grasp for attention?
Yep, @BleuBerri, that’s exactly what it was. Got it in one.
OMG, you’re right! I had not made the connection. I’m betting Kate thought that Meghan would post something with her and Lili for the day, hence this PR outing.
Average passengers don’t have security with them on trains. The keens seem to be getting desperate. Next keen will take Louis to select candy for Halloween
How long until the daily fail is bleating
“Princess Keen and Princess Charlotte are safe riding the tube, so why does Megan’s kids need security?”
@Zapp Brannigan … Agreed. And they’ll play down the fact that Kate and Charlotte had several security guards with them.
Charlotte doesn’t look ‘amazed’ to me. But man, she looks SO much like William.
Another ill advised, disastrous,
PR stunt. Hilariously contrived, performative nonsense, which failed spectacularly.
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Thanks for the link! FYI, I went to the Hello Mag article he referenced; cracked me up–they said it was about off-duty royals taking public transport but every single photo (except this one of Kate & Charlotte) was the royals very much on duty being photographed on the train or bus for some stunt or other.
This was my exact thought! I assumed that’s why they did it, as a gotcha to the Sussexes.
The derangers are already doing it on social media. Ugh! I can’t with these people.
That’s the whole point of Kitty taking her daughter on the tube. Something she has never done before. KP still pulling these stunts in 2026 is embarrassing. They will never get over the power H&M have. It’s pathetic, really.
The woman who uses the helicopter as a daily mean of transport takes the railway!!! Wow! So relatable! The whole thing reminds me of her photo on a bus during her separation from William during the waiting years!! Or her appearance wearing a blue coat buying books the day after the iconic photo with umbrella with Meghan and Harry. Kate is really old on PR machine, she knows the tabloids game and is trying hard to gain space in news. The fact that this was Charlotte’s first trip shows that this isn’t something that happens regularly. She wanted something to be in the news because Meghan literally dominates it and knowing that she couldn’t attract much attention alone, she brought her daughter as well. I imagine that the security wouldn’t agree with George being with her on the railway and Louis is considered young…so, there’s Charlotte!
Louis is a wild card- he would be making faces at the other riders and would inevitably be on the front page of the Sun tomorrow! That undisciplined scamp!
I looked at the Daily Fail today, Harry and Meghan were all of the top ten stories on the royal page today,
According to Harry the only time he travelled on the tube was when he was a school trip. So apparently riding on the train with his mother was a myth. Meghan really has Kate doing all kinds of gimmicks. I have no doubt KP told the Sun when and where they would see Kate and Charlotte. The derangers are upset with the press for posting these photos but they didn’t seem to have the same concern when it was reported that paparazzi were staking out Archie and Lili’s school. Given that KP has an arrangement with the press that the Waleses are not supposed to be photographed while off duty we can conclude that the press was involved in this.
Yeah, I don’t remember stories about Diana taking William & Harry on the tube OR a bus. And heaven knows I read all the gossip rags & watched all the various news outlets at the time. She took them to McDonald’s, yes, she took them to theme parks, yes, but never on public transportation that I recall.
So basically Flybe 2.0, got it.
It also reminds me of those pap pictures of Kate shopping for sunglasses when one of Harry’s court verdicts came out.
Yup, such an apt comparison. All very performative. Also, I’d be very surprised if Kate has been on the Elizabeth line before – it opened just a few years ago. Most of her adult life has been all motorcades and helicopters and most of it not in London proper. Even during the Waity years, she was photographed getting out of taxis to go clubbing, not taking the tube. I doubt she’s even got an oyster card (if y’all even still have those? It’s been awhile!).
I don’t think it’s a bad idea to show Charlotte how most people travel in London, but if it’s just gawking at the peasants it’s more like a weird sort of poverty tourism.
Exactly. No photo of Charlotte ends up on UK papers without explicit KP consent. The exclusive is not only flybe 2.0 but also farmshop 2.0
The expression on Charlotte’s face looks frighteningly like William’s in the seventh picture, mean and bored AF.
That is incredibly rude. All of these kids should not be judged in the same manner in which we snark on the adults.
The photos are so obscured I only recognised Kate by her eyebrow.
Are there any photos of the return trip?
The photos where Charlotte was bored were taken at the Commonwealth games. I believe she enjoyed the netball but they moved on to some of the other sports as well, the family were all at Wimbledon for the tennis on one day. Two and three were Charlotte and mum playing the piano and the end ones were just ‘work’days with no children in them.
I didn’t think about the snatched one, probably taken from the platform.
Charlotte looked like she very much didn’t want to be at that commonwealth game. It was taken August 1st, and I remember thinking at the time that they might have made the children go to that game because they wanted to compete with H&M’s July visit to the UK. A few days before this event was when Meghan posted their UK vacation reel and the press could talk about nothing else for days.
I get the sense the children were trotted out to compete, in the middle of their vacation, and Charlotte was not happy about it.
I assume they used either a helicopter or a car for their return trip. They only did this so that it can make it to the papers. Kate didn’t really want to ride on the tube any longer than needed.
Wonder if they were going anywhere (a bookshop? to see one of Charlotte’s friends?) or if this was simply a case of a motorcade dropping them and their 2 security guys off at one tube station and picking them up three stations down the line.
The latter. It’s a stunt.
I think it was the security dropping them off at one stop and picking them up two stops later. I doubt they even used their own oyster cards.
I wondered about either end of the tube trip myself. Did they walk, get dropped off/picked up, etc.
PR stunt Keen gotta keep PR stunt Keening – Katty’s unhinged need to upstage her SIL is dangerous and out of control. This is a woman who, along with her husband, uses a helicopter like a taxi and now we are expected to think they use public transport like the plebs do.
Also who took this photo as my money is that it was either a chosen pap or member of staff – they are both looking directly at the person who took it.
On Reddit you can see it was a video of them and Charlotte turns and looks right at them but the camera was not originally in her line of sight if she was looking ahead from her seat.
Flanked by plain clothes security/protection personnel Charlotte appeared self conscious with a focused gaze, directly at the cameras of the photographers in tow.
Questions:
•what was the means of travel departing from Forest Lodge to arrive at the Elizabeth line in London?
•what was the destination and purpose of the journey?
•what was the cost of logistics involved, (outbound and return journey), security, videographers, photographers, palace staff in attendance, clothes worn, etc?
KP has no idea what Meghan will be up to so they’re studying her IG to predict when she’ll post or do something As she posted Lili for International Day of the girl last year, they sent Kate out with Charlotte for a stunt and some negative blow back on Meghan. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and Meghan had more planned for this year
I agree with this. I could see this was their intent with this stunt, but it fell flat.
WTF??!!!! Stunt indeed. Doing what regular folks do day in day out is a leisure activity for Kate and her fam when done on a one-off basis. Up next, going to the office (but only for a few minutes) to see how real people work.
Exactly! Mocking ordinary people. You know, like tax payers! Like a carnival ride treat for Charlotte!
Such an obvious stunt. If they wanted to go incognito they could have been wearing baseball caps or something that would have made them less obvious. Guaranteed they didn’t take the tube back they went by car. I saw Matt W’s posting with this and the royalist fans did not like this at all. The royals keep using the same tired playbook.
I find it a bit hard to believe that they got the Lizzie Line into Tottenham Court Road, which is crazy busy on Saturdays, and nobody noticed them, or posted anything? Does that station have a secret VIP exit? 😄
This is such a desperate PR stunt – its embarrassing. and much like the IKEA “work,” its condescending and screams “look charlotte this is how the peasants get around!! can you even imagine not having a helicopter or motorcade?!?!?”
This!
They also forget to mention that no photo of those kids ends up as an exclusive without KP providing consent.
It’s a clear stunt like flybe and pathetic to use your kids.
What’s funny is that this is so far the only photo. That means nobody closer really cared. I suspect whoever took this was in on it and was taking this because nobody was caring to whip their phones out to take a picture.
The obvious security would put them off. They might have their phones snatched. I got on the underground about 20 years ago and was surprised to see every seat occupied and nobody talking.
I noticed the guy next to them was reading his book (the guy beyond the RPO, that is); that would have been me. And yeah, people are just on their way to something so they are lost in their own thoughts, have their earbuds in, reading their books, etc.
This was pulled from a video.
This is also like the time Kate got photographed at the vigil and just happened to be the only one in the crowd not wearing a mask.
Or when she was caught shopping for sunglasses, and backgrid released the pictures/video.
So they’ll demand a private citizen who was complimentary towards Kate on her hike delete their own video, give KP the rights to it and film an apology to KP but magically a photo of her and Charlotte on The Elizabeth Line (taken by who…?) is perfectly fine?
Surely the Wales will lodge a formal complaint over The Sun’s publication of these photos which are a gross invasion of privacy?
Oh, probably not because this was a convenient deliberate act to portray them as “down to earth”? Just like the time Kate was papped with baby George and without William on tarmac switching flights to go to Mustique with her family? And, of course, the entirely staged flybe stunt?
Kate must be so happy about the comparison with Princess Diana and her boys … but the reality is that it wasn’t a one-off for Diana. She did this kind of stuff regularly — making her kids wait in line at amusement parks like everyone else, taking them to homeless shelters in the middle of the night when they wouldn’t draw notice, taking them on public transport.
Kate doesn’t have the energy or any real passion for ensuring her kids get a taste of normal life. She wants them to live in rarefied air, so she can, too.
The Elizabeth Line doesn’t count. It’s not a real tube experience if it’s not the Central Line at 5pm after the temps have been around 90 F/35 C for a week. And some sweaty guy in a biking kit was in your seat before you.
In the header picture Kate looks like a doofus. Thank you for that.
Imagine riding the tube with all the stinky peasants for fame. And then Meghan making the front pages for wearing a jumper. Oh the rage!!!
This feels so much like Will crying Africa is miiine Harold. Kate is saying London is mine before Meghan can be seen doing normal mom things like this. It’s nice to have royal protection isn’t it, princess? The delay until Meghan has protection gives Kate a chance to do things like this before her.
Eh I don’t know, it could be a stunt, or on the other hand maybe Kate didn’t want Charlotte to be such a clod as to have lived in proximity to London most of her life and have never taken the tube. Or maybe Charlotte just wanted to try it out. I know I would.
No photo of those kids in their private time ends up on the Sun without consent from KP.
I don’t doubt it, but at the same time, it’s a photo of them doing something normal… Maybe not normal for them, but normal for people. Much better than those ridiculous staged photos frolicking in the country or pretending to be IKEA staff. By all means, let Kate be photographed having lunch with girlfriends or getting a mani/pedi. The Royals should by all means be encouraged to do normal things if only to discourage them from being weird.
@ Lover. This is also a staged photo, much like those other engagements you’ve mentioned. It is also most likely going to be counted as work, that’s anything but “normal”.
I’ve actually started to feel really bad for Kate. We know that being in the public eye 24/7 is exhausting, and she obviously can’t seek any mental health support. I doubt she knew what she was really signing up for, and now she is literally trapped in a gilded cage. We can’t pretend to know what that life is like, or at least I can’t. Imagine being super depressed and unable to get any help whatsoever. I think a little more compassion is needed when judging people you know nothing about except for third party accounts.
Kate spent a decade to be in that family so I do not feel bad for her. Charlotte didn’t have a choice and now her mother is using her for PR. That’s who I feel bad for.
Of course she can seek mental health support! If she can find somebody to shoot her forehead full of toxins every few months she can find a therapist! She chooses not to.
Did Kate confuse International Day of the Girl with Take Your Daughter to Work Day? For International Day of the Girl, Meghan raised funds for two girl focused organizations, Kelly’s and Malala’s. Real material help. Kate’s stunt seems pointless. At least they should have gone to a specific destination and done a mother and daughter thing. Perhaps they could have had tea at The Dorchester to mimic Malala and Meghan’s outing. They could have attended a performance of some kind to promote the Arts. As usual, the Wales did nothing that benefited anybody except as a photo op for themselves. Reminds me of the time William told a charity helping Ukranians that they can only give them a smile and a wave. They are so useless and ineffective. Kate’s actions are so vacuous. She must also have a very vacuous staff as well.
Kate looks terrified. In all fairness, no matter how safe GB is compared to the US there are still crazy people everywhere. If the monarchy dissolves Billy Idle and his family will still need protection from people with their own agenda. Even if Harry is not a working royal, excuse me OFFICIAL working royal, he is still a prince and he and HIS family needs protection.
I don’t fault Kate for doing this, but I do fault the why and the when. She is sooooo obvious. Her kids should have done this kind of outings all along especially George if he is going to be king to see how people really live in England. For Willie boy, waving from the palace is enough of a challenge.
The children will never live like average citizens. They are used to the privileges and perks and lavish vacations. They can view it but will go back to one of their estates. Very unlikely that any of the wales will take mass transit unless the station is roped off for their appearances.
Keen never had a career just a brief part time job. And can’t really tell them about normal life as average person. Especially when waiting for the ring
The tell that this was a set up is that there are no photos of them coming home. There would be a second round of tube photos if they had used it to return home, so one assumes that they got picked up on one end or the other.