13 best photos of the royals taking public transport

King Charles and Queen 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Prince William had Londoners doing a double take in June when he stepped off of a double-decker bus.

The 44-year-old took a special electric bus in central London to deliver a keynote speech highlighting the success of his Earthshot Prize.

Joined by environmentalist Robert Irwin and two young campaigners, Prince William rode the specially-branded route ‘2030’ double decker on a short journey to the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly at London’s historic Guildhall. 

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!

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.

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!

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.

The Prince and Princess of Wales appeared in high spirits back in May 2023 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.

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.