What to Know
You never know who you might run into when taking public transit. Case in point: some people who were on London’s Underground on October 10 noticed Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte sitting alongside them. The royal family– they’re just like us?!
When images and videos started circulating online, critics were immediately suspicious. Obviously, Kate and Charlotte were not taking public transit out of necessity. It doesn’t seem like it would be particularly convenient for them, either. So, people online assumed that this had to be some sort of publicity stunt to make them look more “normal” and relatable. If that’s really what they were going for, it did not appear to work all that well.
It’s unclear where Kate and Charlotte were going at the time.
According to a report from Hello!, they got off the train at Tottenham Court Road Station, a central location with various attractions nearby. Taking public transit is definitely not the norm for them, but a source told the publication that “they seemed very relaxed and were chatting together, smiling.”
Of course, they were accompanied by security, but they also reportedly tried to remain relatively inconspicuous.
“They spoke to members of the public sitting across from them,” the source said. “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.”
Meanwhile, critics think the royal family wanted people to notice.
Critics on Reddit slammed what they described as a “publicity stunt” that seemed “staged.” One person called the royal family “so out of touch” for doing this and argued that ordinary people honestly don’t really care about whether members of the royal family are taking public transportation.
“This is clearly a PR stunt,” they wrote. “People have work to get to, places to be, and actual problems to deal with.” They added that members of the royal family “don’t understand what it’s like for regular people who rely on trains every day, not for publicity, but because it’s how they get around.”
Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte spotted on the tube
by u/Infinite_Safety3502 in RoyaltyTea
Some people speculated that Kate and Prince William arranged this outing in response to complaints about their frequent helicopter usage. “Thank Goodness, they put the helicopter away for this outing!” someone joked.
“They always find time to fly commercial or go on public transport after being called out for their helicopter use,” someone else wrote.
But some people thought the apparent “publicity stunt” had more to do with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Critics think something has shifted. Interestingly, the timing seems to line up with Harry and Meghan’s decision to move back to the United Kingdom. Suddenly, Kate and William appear to be everywhere, and some critics don’t see it as a coincidence.
“We sure are seeing way more of Kate, William, and kids in the past six weeks than we have in the past year plus,” one person wrote. Someone else said, “It’s amazing how much work and publicity they’ve been doing since Meghan and Harry arrived.”
Based on what these critics have observed recently, they remain convinced that Kate and William want to come across as more relatable to people because of Harry and Meghan. “Omg this is so pathetic – they are trying so hard to look like normal people now that Harry and Meghan are back in the UK,” another critic added.
In reality, the reason for this particular outing is still unclear. However, a few people could think of possible explanations that had nothing to do with any kind of publicity or damage control. While no one seemed convinced that Kate was interested in taking public transit just for the fun of it, they could imagine a world in which Charlotte was.
“Could be a stunt,” one person admitted. “But as an aunt of a very determined niece, I wonder if Charlotte was curious about it & wouldn’t shut up about it so Catherine gave in and took her for a ride…”
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