The Royal wee! The day Kate stunned punters at a south London pub by nipping in to take Princess Charlotte to the loo – with her protection officers in tow
Princess Charlotte, 3, was caught short as she was driven through south London
The Duchess of Cambridge took the youngster to use the Phoenix pub in Stockwell
Local punters were shocked when the royal pair made an unexpected entrance
A royal protection officer went ahead to check the facilities
Led by the hand by her mother, the little girl trotted in happily to the ladies
Princess Charlotte added an extra royal engagement to her brief public life – an unexpected visit to a south London pub to use the loo, MailOnline can reveal.
The fourth in line to the throne nipped into The Phoenix in Stockwell to use the ladies after she was caught short while travelling down the notoriously busy A3 trunk road.
Regulars and staff were stunned by the visit with one punter joking: ‘It just goes to show that the royals are like any other family. When your kid needs to go to the loo, they got to go!’
The three-year-old youngster was led into the unassuming local boozer by her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, who held her hand.
Princess Charlotte, who attends morning classes at the Willcocks Nursery in Kensington, was wearing black shoes, white tights, blue skirt, with a white blouse and light-blue coat.
Her mother was more casually dressed in patterned blue culottes and a navy blue long-sleeve top.
A plain-clothed female detective from the Royal Protection Squad had gone into the pub a few minutes ahead of the regal pair to check the toilets.
The young princess, whose confidence outshines her shyer older brother, was completely unfazed by the brief visit.
Maggie McKinney, a regular at the friendly street corner pub, told MailOnline: ‘I was sitting in my usual chair and when I looked up I saw Kate Middleton, I mean the Duchess of Cambridge and her daughter Princess Charlotte.
‘The little kiddie just trotted in with her mum, went to the toilet and then trotted out. They could not have been in the pub for more than ten minutes.
‘Someone went up to the bar and asked if the wee girl could go to the toilet and then in they came.
‘They seem very nice, totally normal. Princess Kate was holding her daughter’s hand. Princess Charlotte was just any other little girl.’
Widow Maggie, 76, a regular for the past 26 years, added: ‘The Phoenix is a lovely little pub, very friendly.’
Another regular, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I was on my way to the pub when I saw the Duchess of Cambridge getting out of a black Range Rover which was parked on a side road.
‘Then her daughter Princess Charlotte got out and they walked to the pub. A man in a suit stood by the side of the car. I couldn’t believe it.’
Neither the manager of the Phoenix or a spokesman for Backbar Pubs and Bars Ltd which owns the bar would comment on the unofficial visit.
But a third regular described how the royal protection officers stayed by the bar to wait for the mother and daughter.
‘A plain-clothed woman police officer came in first and checked the toilets,’ he said.
‘Then the Duchess of Cambridge walked in holding Princess Charlotte’s hand. The little girl went to the loo and then they left.
‘The police woman sat by the bar while Princess Charlotte and Princess Kate were in the toilet.
The diplomatic protection officer warned customers not to take any pictures so no one got their phones out.
‘No one really knew what was going on until one guy recognized Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
‘They had parked their Range Rover outside. There were other police officers inside. But it was only the female police officer who came inside.
‘The pub staff have been told not to tell anyone about it. It was about a quarter to two last Thursday.
‘There were only a few of us in the pub at the time. No one noticed to start with, but when Princess Kate came in we started to look up.’
A spokeswoman for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge declined to comment about Princess Charlotte’s visit to the Phoenix pub when contacted by MailOnline.
She said: ‘This is not something we will be commenting on.’
Princess Charlotte’s impromptu visit to the south London pub follows in the footsteps of her grandfather, uncle and a prime minister who both found themselves caught out in a drinking establishment.
The diplomatic protection officer warned customers not to take any pictures so no one got their phones out.
‘No one really knew what was going on until one guy recognized Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.
‘They had parked their Range Rover outside. There were other police officers inside. But it was only the female police officer who came inside.
‘The pub staff have been told not to tell anyone about it. It was about a quarter to two last Thursday.
‘There were only a few of us in the pub at the time. No one noticed to start with, but when Princess Kate came in we started to look up.’
A spokeswoman for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge declined to comment about Princess Charlotte’s visit to the Phoenix pub when contacted by MailOnline.
She said: ‘This is not something we will be commenting on.’
Princess Charlotte’s impromptu visit to the south London pub follows in the footsteps of her grandfather, uncle and a prime minister who both found themselves caught out in a drinking establishment.
Source: DAILYMAIL MAILONLINE
