Princess Diana visited gay clubs, while Kate Middleton loved pubs: how the royals used to "escape" the palace to have fun

Life in royal families is not so fabulous. You have to adhere to strict rules of conduct, you are not allowed to express your political views, you cannot monetize any of your activities, and the "cherry on top" is the constant escort of security guards. No wonder titled persons want to escape the palace and feel like ordinary people without any privileges at least for a while.

Kings and queens, princes and princesses have been going out incognito since the Middle Ages, and continue to do so today. Read the OBOZ.UA article to find out how they used to have fun secretly.

1. Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret

In 1945, when the UK was celebrating the end of World War II, 19-year-old Princess Elizabeth and her 14-year-old sister Princess Margaret slipped past the guards at Buckingham Palace and joined the crowd. The girls sang and shouted "We want the King" with the British, demanding that the king appear on the balcony. Later, they danced the catchy Cuban conga dance with everyone else. When the festivities were over, they quietly returned home, accompanied by the guards officers with whom they were friends.

2. Princess Diana

The paparazzi loved to follow Princess Diana's every move. Therefore, it was difficult for her to plan how to have fun without getting caught by cameras. However, sometimes it worked out. In 1988, she once met her celebrity friends at a party: Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and comedian Kenny Everett. After drinking a lot of champagne, the men decided to go to the gay bar Royal Vauxhall Tavern in Vauxhall, London. Lady Di was in a playful mood at the time, and the idea caught her eye. What did she come up with?

She borrowed some clothes from Everett and went out wearing a camouflage jacket, a leather cap and aviator sunglasses. That's how she managed to get into the bar incognito and order drinks. People did not recognize the princess in disguise. It was as if she was invisible to everyone, and she loved it.

3. Prince William and Kate Middleton

The exemplary royal couple Prince William and Princess Catherine also performed incognito "raids". Not as bright as Lady Di's, but at least with some consolation. The couple managed to sneak into the legendary Cirque du Soleil show in London several times without being noticed. They also like to "blend in" with the crowd to have a drink in local pubs or visit movie theaters.

4. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

In his youth, Willem-Alexander used a fictitious name several times to be able to participate in sports competitions. For example, at the age of 19 (in 1986), in order to try his hand at the famous Elfstedentocht ultra-marathon, he registered himself as "W.A. van Buren". He covered about 200 kilometers along a frozen canal between 11 different cities. The future king was happy that day that he was "like everyone else" because he was not recognized. Only in the city of Franeker did a reporter run up and ask, "Was it easy for you to get a day off from your boss... the Queen?" Willem-Alexander answered with a smile on his face, "Yes! It is always like this for sports".

It was only after the tour was over that the prince admitted to reporters that he had decided to take part in Elfstedentocht two days before the start. And he did it on a bet, "It was a bet with a friend. I bet with him that I could make it to the end." By the way, he didn't believe he could do it himself because his skating record was no more than 65 kilometers.

5. King Henry VIII

Several centuries ago, when royalty was not very recognizable to their people, King Henry VIII used to leave the palace in disguise. He would often walk around the city in the middle of the night to make sure that the local guards were doing their job properly.

During one of these walks, one of the guards thought that the "stranger" was acting suspiciously and actually put the king in jail. In the morning, Henry VIII, instead of executing the man, rewarded him for his good work for the safety of the people.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote about the escape from the window, a walk among nudists and other extreme antics of Princess Diana.

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