Last week, Prince William shocked customers when he appeared in a pub in a tiny English town.
He reportedly ordered a burger and sat inside the pub for two hours as he partook in a business meeting.
The future King of England also snapped a photo with pub regulars and a staff member, before departing the small country town of just 2000 people.
Last week, Prince William shocked pubgoers when he appeared in a pub in a tiny English town. (Facebook/@The Walnut Tree Inn)
His surprise appearance at the pub is not the first time we’ve seen royals randomly popping up in public.
From surprise appearances in skits to going for a stroll at the local shops, here are the most memorable times members of the British Royal Family appeared in unlikely places.
Queen Elizabeth meets James Bond
The late Queen Elizabeth was beloved for her sense of humour, which was on full display during the opening ceremony at the London Olympics in 2012.
The Queen shocked the entire world, including her children and grandchildren, when she appeared in a skit alongside Daniel Craig to open up the London Olympics.
The late Queen Elizabeth was beloved for her sense of humour, which was on full display during the opening ceremony at the London Olympics in 2012.The Queen shocked the entire world, including her children and grandchildren, when she appeared in a skit alongside Daniel Craig to open up the London Olympics.
(Youtube/The Olympics)
In the video, Craig, who plays James Bond, walked into Buckingham Palace and greeted the Queen, before the pair walk outside together and seemingly step into a helicopter.
The chopper flew over the top of London Stadium before a body double, dressed as Queen Elizabeth jumped from the chopper and seemingly parachuted into the stadium.
A presenter then announced her entrance, and she appeared in the stadium alongside Prince Phillip.
The chopper flies over the top of London Stadium before a body double, dressed as Elizabeth, jumps from the chopper and seemingly parachutes into the stadium. (Youtube/The Olympics)
Her family, along with the entire stadium, were in stitches laughing at the skit, which had been kept top secret until it aired.
It was not the only time the Queen showed off her sense of humour.
Aussie athletes photobombed by the queen
The Queen once made an appearance to support the hardworking athletes at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Her visit to the games prompted arguably the most iconic photobomb of all time.
She was visible in the background as two Aussie hockey players posed to take a selfie, but instead of moving out of the way, she stood and smiled for the camera.
Hockeyroos Jayde Taylor and Brooke Peris, with the Queen behind them. (Twitter)
The photobomb was completely unplanned on the Queen’s end, but the athletes confessed they had planned to take the photo with her in the background.
“Ahhh The Queen photo-bombed our selfie!!” Taylor wrote in the Twitter post that became a worldwide viral meme.
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“Brooke [Peris] and I planned it so that when she came out the door she would be behind us,” she told Newscorp at the time.
“And then she came out and smiled at the camera. We were in the right spot at the right time.”
Prince William spontaneously appears before a football match
Earlier this year, Prince William popped into a Wetherspoons pub in Birmingham to meet with fellow Aston Villa supporters before an away game.
He shouted a round of drinks for the group and reportedly spent more than 30 minutes with the season ticket fans, prior to them heading to the match.
The Prince of Wales meeting Aston Villa supporters in a Wetherspoons pub. (PA Images via Getty Images)
The Prince is a die-hard Aston Villa fan, and has openly spoken about his love for the team.
It’s a love he’s now passed on to eldest son, Prince George, confirming in an interview last year that the future king also backs his team and is “part of the pride”, a term for Villa fans.
The royal shouted a round at the pub. (PA Images via Getty Images)
In April 2024, the prince reportedly showed up in another pub, but this time he was joined by his mother-in-law.
He was spotted at a pub in Norfolk with Carole Middleton, in an outing described by the Daily Mail as “lowkey.”
He also attended Tig Coili, a traditional Irish pub, on March 05, 2020 with Kate by his side in Galway as part of their trip to the country.
Cheers!
Prince William also popped into a traditional Irish pub in 2020. (WireImage)Prince Harry caught on ring camera
While visiting the UK for a court case earlier this year, Prince Harry was caught on a ring doorbell camera wandering around London trying to find his friend’s address.
The prince was caught on the footage ringing the doorbell and looking confused as he tried to pin down his friend’s location.
He was wearing a full suit and on the phone as he tried to find the right address.
The Sun posted the images of the prince, with the homeowners saying they were shocked to see the royal standing outside their home.
One resident said the housekeeper had opened the door, but didn’t recognise the prince, telling the outlet: “We were shocked to see it was him on the camera.”
“We only really noticed once neighbours started talking — and then we were like, ‘Oh yes!'”
Royal family spotted at Smiggle
Princess Kate was spotted shopping with her children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, at a Smiggle in London in April 2021.
The family were seen shopping on King’s Road at the stationery store during the Easter Holidays.
Onlookers told local media the kids were behaving like “normal, well brought-up children” and had apparently been given a budget to stick to during their shop.
Princess Kate was spotted shopping with her children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, at a Smiggle in London in April 2021. (Getty)
It’s not the only time the royal was spotted at the shops.
Following her abdominal surgery last year, the princess was spotted looking “happy, relaxed and healthy” near her home in Windsor in March.
Kate was joined by William as they wandered around the local farm shop, according to The Sun.
”After all the rumours that had been going around, I was stunned to see them there,” one onlooker told the outlet.
Onlookers told local media the kids were behaving like “normal, well brought-up children”. (AP/AAP)
“Kate was out shopping with William and she looked happy and she looked well.
“The kids weren’t with them but it’s such a good sign she was healthy enough to pop down to the shops.”
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Princess Diana – the queen of spontaneous appearances
Princess Diana was known as the people’s princess for a reason.
She frequented places and events with regular folk and often broke royal protocol.
One of the most memorable was when she kicked her shoes off and ran in the mothers’ race at Prince William’s sports day.
Wetherby Pre-Preparatory School, Annual Sports Day, held at Richmond Rugby Club, Tuesday 27th June 1989. Princess Diana competes in the mothers race, as part of Prince William’s annual school sports day events. (Photo by Bill Kennedy/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) (Getty)
Dressed in a long skirt, she kicked off her shoes and ran the sprint race, competing against other mothers in a clip that is now part of the late princesses’ legacy.
She did it again during Prince Harry’s sports day.
She was also known for giving William and Harry a taste for life outside of the palace walls, reportedly being spotted with her boys at McDonald’s and local amusement parks.
She did it again during Prince Harry’s sports day. (Getty)
The princess also appeared on stage at the ballet at the Royal Opera House for the annual Friends Gala in December 1985.
She had secretly rehearsed the three-minute routine to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” with ballet dancer Wayne Sleep, before joining him on stage.
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The crowd at the charity event reportedly erupted into applause when she appeared in the surprise dance, which was even kept secret from her husband, Prince Charles.
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