Kate Middleton Joined Fellow School Moms at a Local Pub — with the Help of a Secret Back Door!

Despite her royal status, Kate Middleton is just one of the moms.

The Duchess of Cambridge recently took part in a meet-up for parents of new students at the Hollywood Arms pub and restaurant in the Chelsea neighborhood of London, reports the Mail on Sunday. In September, Kate, Prince William and 6-year-old Prince George memorably accompanied 4-year-old Princess Charlotte to her first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea, a $23,000-a-year private school.

So how was Kate able to sneak in the pub undetected? By using a secret entrance — that some say was installed so that her brother-in-law Prince Harry could imbibe at a local joint without causing a huge stir.

When it comes to her own three children, including 1-year-old Prince Louis, Kate is “so hands-on and involved with everything,” a source previously told PEOPLE.

“She wants to emulate her upbringing, living in the countryside with a close-knit family,” a friend of the royal said. “She desperately wants that normality for her own kids.”

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Kate, 37, makes sure her kids have normal experiences — like stepping out to their local Sainsbury’s supermarket to buy Halloween costumes.

Spotted in the Halloween clothing aisle of the Kings Lynn Hardwick superstore, Kate, who was with Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the time, even stopped to chat to some fellow shoppers.

And when the family enjoyed a date outdoors while Prince William and Prince Harry played in a charity polo game over the summer, their royal status was impossible to recognize. George and Charlotte kicked around a soccer ball with Kate cheering them on (when she wasn’t running after Louis, that is!).

When stomachs started rumbling, they retreated to the car for a snack break. Kate and her kids munched on food packed in lunchboxes with the trunk popped open and the royal mom taking a seat on the grass.

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An onlooker told PEOPLE at the time, “George seemed to be saying, ‘Charlotte pass me the sandwiches.’ Kate was asking Charlotte to pass little pots of food, and she also helped herself to food.” The scene showed “real life,” said the onlooker.

“It’s the perfect little family unit and she’s an amazing mum, so hands-on and involved with everything,” says another friend.