11 times the royals surprised us on public transport

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 for even 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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The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on a bus

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 couple sat in a 1938 Tube carriage and recorded a message which will be played on the capital's transport network at some stage later in the year.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on a bus

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!

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The Duchess of Cambridge on a bus

The Duchess of Cambridge is snapped here 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.

The Queen driving the tube 

The 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 93-year-old even returned to the driver's cabin in 2013 for the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.

Queen Mathilde and King Philippe

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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Prince Charles on the Tube 

On the 150th anniversary of the London Underground in January 2013, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall 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!

The Duchess of Cornwall on a bus

The 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 Duchess has enjoyed a bus ride, with the 71-year-old hopping on a bus in Mexico in 2014 – Camilla's driver must be getting worried!

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The Queen on the London Underground

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.

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Prince Charles on a bus

The Prince of Wales travelled by bus on his official Diamond Jubilee Tour of Canada in 2012 whilst in Toronto. From the expression on the 70-year-old's face, clearly the novelty of a bus ride has not worn of just yet!

The Queen on her yearly train trip

Every year, Her Majesty boards a train from London Kings Cross to King's Lynn railway station for her Christmas break. The Queen and Prince Phillip travel 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.

The Duchess of Cambridge on the Tube 

The 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.

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