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12 times the royals surprised us on public transport

We hope they have an Oyster card!

Queen Camilla and Princess Kate on public transport
Chloe Ash
Social Media Content Producer
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Commuting can be a ghastly experience! From getting squished up against the door on the first train home from work or waiting in line for a bus that never arrives, public transport can be testing even for the best of us. 

The royal family are lucky enough to escape the struggles of the daily commute, having chauffeur-driven luxury cars take them to wherever they need to be. The royals even skip that pesky 8:30am traffic queue with the help of police escorts, and even have their own royal train, so why would they ever choose to go on public transport? 

Well, it seems that they are more like us than we thought; see all the pictures of the royals on public transport below…

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King Charles and Queen Camilla on a bus

© Getty

Charles and Camilla hopped on an electric bus to travel from Clarence House to the London Transport Museum, in celebration of Transport for London's 20th anniversary in March 2020. During a tour of the museum, the royal couple sat in a 1938 Tube carriage and recorded a message which was later played on the capital's transport network. 

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The late Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh on a bus

© Getty

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh travelled on a Cambridgeshire Guided Bus to visit the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 2013. It seems the pair made the most of their visit, arriving in Cambridge on a train from London before making their way to the single-decker bus. However, the pair arrived fifteen minutes late to the visit, proving you can't always rely on that bus timetable!

MORE: The cutest photos of royal children and their beloved nannies

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Princess Kate on a bus

princess kate on bus with barbara windsor © Getty

The then-Duchess of Cambridge was snapped back in 2013 alongside Barbara Windsor on a 1960's Routemaster bus as they met staff and volunteers from The Royal British Legion London Poppy Day Appeal. Kate was joined by her husband Prince William on the double-decker bus from Kensington Palace to a London tube station.

412

The late Queen driving the tube 

queen elizabeth opening new Victoria line on underground © Getty

The late Queen opened the new Victoria Line on the London Underground in 1969, it was the second time that she had ever been on the underground. Her first visit was in 1939, when Her Majesty was still a Princess, experiencing the wonders of the Tube at the age of 13. The late Queen even returned to the driver's cabin in 2013 for the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.

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Queen Mathilde and King Philippe

queen mathilde on train© Photo: Getty Images

The Belgian monarch and his wife Mathilde opted to take the train as they kicked off their three-day state visit to Luxembourg in October 2019. The royals boarded their carriage at the Brussels-Luxembourg railway station in Brussels, where they were joined by 200 others who were taking part in the official visit. Philippe and Mathilde posed for photos before settling down in their private carriage for the three-hour train journey.

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King Charles on the Tube

duchess of cornwall and prince charles on metropolitan underground train© Getty

On the 150th anniversary of the London Underground in January 2013, the then-Prince Charles and his wife Camilla travelled on a Metropolitan underground train from Farringdon to London's Kings Cross. HELLO! love that the couple still had to get in line at the ticket barriers - even royalty can't escape those pesky queues!

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Queen Camilla on a bus

Duchess of Cornwall sat on top level of bus © Getty

The then-Duchess of Cornwall is pictured here on the top deck of an old London route master bus en route towards the London Transport Museum in 2010. Camilla travelled with children from St Augustine's CE school and attended a reception hosted by the National Literacy Trust at the museum. It is not the first time the royal has enjoyed a bus ride, with the 76-year-old hopping on a bus in Mexico in 2014 – Camilla's driver must be getting worried!

READ MORE: Royal Shock! All the times royals couldn't believe their eyes, from Meghan Markle to Princess Diana

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The late Queen on the London Underground

Queen Elizabeth II boarding a tube on the London Underground to Baker Street© Getty

Her Majesty is spotted here on a train at Baker Street tube station in London in 2013, to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.

READ MORE: The royal family's education revealed – from Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton to Princess Eugenie

912

King Charles on a bus

© Getty

The then-Prince of Wales travelled by bus on his official Diamond Jubilee Tour of Canada in 2012 whilst in Toronto. From the expression on the 74-year-old's face, clearly the novelty of a bus ride has not worn of just yet!

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The late Queen on her yearly train trip

© Getty

Every year, Her Majesty used to board a train from London Kings Cross to King's Lynn railway station for her Christmas break. The Queen and Prince Phillip travelled to Sandringham this way every year for the festive period, usually staying until February, although Phillip was absent from the train journey at Christmas 2018.

1112

Princess Kate on the Tube 

duchess of cambrdige wearing TFL badge © Getty

The then-Duchess of Cambridge was given a 'baby on board' badge whilst on her visit to Baker Street tube station with the Queen and Prince Philip in 2013.

1212

Prince William and Princess Kate

william and kate travelling on elizabeth line © Getty

The Prince and Princess of Wales appeared in high spirits back in May this year as they travelled on the Elizabeth Line in central London. The duo had been on their way to visit the Dog & Duck pub in Soho to hear about their preparations ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla's joint coronation.

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