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Princess Diana, Megan Markle, Kate Middleton, even Queen Elizabeth herself: when British royals break the rules and escape the palace to go shopping – or for a night out with Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury and Princess Diana reportedly enjoyed evenings out on the town together. Photo: Instagram/@diana.princess.wales
Life as a British royal has been described as stuffy, with a litany of rules, regulations and protocols to be strictly adhered to.

But when someone new marries into the royal family – like Princess Diana in the 1980s, and Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle in recent years, they bring with them a breath of fresh air.

Diana, Princess of Wales, and Queen Elizabeth smile to well-wishers outside Clarence House in 1987. Photo: AP
Princess Diana was known for breaking with protocol and ruffling a few feathers, like the time she chose her engagement ring from a catalogue – it was the Garrard jewellery collection admittedly – instead of having it custom made. She liked to expose her sons Princes William and Harry to unroyal ways of life, taking them to McDonald’s – they like the toys, she used to tell the shocked staff – and letting them ride the London tube and buses. She also used to sneak out of the palace for a bit of fun with her own friends.
Princess Diana and her sapphire engagement ring. Photo: Instagram/dianaforeverremembered

She would wear wigs and lay low in friend’s cars to escape Kensington Palace. But it was her tristes with Freddie Mercury that were most outrageous. One night, described in comedian and actress Cleo Rocos’ book The Power of Positive Drinking, Mercury, Kenny Everett and Rocos were drinking champagne with Diana watching The Golden Girls on television when the princess asked them what their plans were for the evening. Mercury mentioned they were going to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a well-known gay club. The princess decided to come, too, so Everett dressed her in a military jacket, sunglasses and leather cap and passed her off as a gay male model.

In this 1985 file photo, singer Freddie Mercury of the rock group Queen, performs at a concert in Sydney, Australia. Photo: AP

Surprisingly, nobody recognised her. Clubbers were presumably fixated with Mercury. She ordered a white wine and beer, had a few giggles and they all left after 20 minutes.

Kate Middleton shopping at the supermarket. Photo: @katemiddletonlatest/Instagram

Kate Middleton is often seen in London’s high streets, shopping at stores such as Gap, Zara and John Lewis. She also does her own grocery shopping when at their home in Norfolk, and has been spotted at the local Sainsbury’s and Waitrose with her children in tow.

In the evenings, Prince William and Kate have been known to frequent their local pub in Kensington, especially during the days when Prince Harry was still living at the palace. Both princes were also said to have come and gone regularly from the palace on motorbikes unnoticed for years.

From left, Britain’s Prince William; Kate, Duchess of Cambridge; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry at the 2018 Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, England. Photo: AP

When Meghan Markle was living at Kensington Palace, she would sneak out to Whole Foods, and was a regular at Dean Street Townhouse by Soho House. Also, like the late Princess Diana, she figured out ways of escaping prowling eyes and cameras by wearing wigs and disguises and leaving through one of the palace’s six back exits to enjoy nights on the town.

From left, Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George VI and Princess Margaret, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day, May 8, 1945. Photo: AP

And let’s not forget that Queen Elizabeth is no stranger to escaping the palace incognito either. Famously, Princess Elizabeth, as she was at the time, and her sister Princess Margaret, left Buckingham Palace on V-E Day, May 8, 1945, to enjoy the celebrations to mark the end of World War II.

Picture taken October 1940 in Windsor showing the Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret sending a message during the BBC’s children programme, to those being evacuated because of the war. Photo: AP

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Elizabeth was 19 at the time and Margaret was 14. They were accompanied by their cousin Margaret Rhodes; a former lady-in-waiting, Jean Woodroffe; and an entourage of 14 others for what the queen would describe as “one of the most memorable nights of my life”. Apart from joining in the celebrations on the street, they did the conga through the front door of The Ritz hotel, where a few eyebrows were raised, according to Rhodes.

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Royalty

When the crown grew too heavy, back exits, disguises and motorbikes were used to evade the paparazzi to dance into London’s The Ritz hotel, go to Sainsbury’s supermarket or the pub, or to party with stars like Cleo Rocos and Kenny Everett