SMART NEWS

Prince Charles Rides the London Tube for First Time in 33 Years

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall graced the plebeians subway commuters with their presence to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the London tube’s creation

Rachel Nuwer

January 30, 2013

Photo: balexandre

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall graced the plebeians subway commuters with their presence for the first time in 33 years in order to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the London tube’s creation. Photographers snapped shots of the couple in everyman situations, such as swiping their tickets, waiting at the train platform and sitting amidst other tube-goers. They almost blend in, save for their expressions of amusement and slight terror. Luckily, the trauma was over before they knew—they got off after riding only one stop.

The Huffington Post gives the details of the royal adventure underground:

The royal couple caught the Metropolitan line at Farringdon station to King’s Cross. And even though their journey was a mere three minutes, we have to give Charles extra points because he managed to swipe his very own Oyster card despite the fact that it was his first trip on the tube in 33 years (the last time he visited, he ended up driving the train instead). According to The Telegraph, Camilla probably took the train at some point in the more recent past.

Camilla remarked that the train—a brand new, air conditioned model—was “very nice, very smart.” The pair did not comment on whether or not they planned on making public transportation a more frequent fixture of their travel preferences or whether they’d need another few decades to prepare for the next trip.