Kate Middleton Met a Young Boy on a Train Ride — but He Had 'No Idea' He Was Chatting with Royalty!

Stephanie Petit
·2 min read
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A journalist says the "monarchy is in consummate hands" after his son had a surprise encounter with Kate Middleton.

While Prince William and Princess Charlotte flew to Tuesday's Commonwealth Games by helicopter (with the Duke of Cambridge acting as pilot!), Kate traveled to Birmingham by train.

Matthew Syed, a columnist for The Times, and his young son, Ted, were fellow passengers on the train. When the journalist got up to use the restroom, Kate struck up a conversation with Ted.

"As I am doing my thing, I hear him talking to a woman in the vestibule," Syed recalled. " 'Are you here alone?' she asks. 'No, my dad is in there,' he says, pointing to the lavatory."

RELATED: Watch Princess Charlotte Mimic Mom Kate Middleton on Her First Solo Royal Outing with Her Parents

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (C) makes a visit to SportsAid House on day five of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (C) makes a visit to SportsAid House on day five of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Kate Middleton

Syed said the duo continued chatting and "judging by the laughter, they are having a whale of a time."

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge makes a visit to SportsAid House on day five of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge makes a visit to SportsAid House on day five of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Kate Middleton

He continued, " 'Come on Ted,' I say, 'We have to get off! Oh, and thanks for keeping him company . . .' I say turning to the woman waiting her turn when I am stopped in my tracks. My brow furrows, my face works. 'Kate?' I blurt out. There are no security guards in the vestibule; no armed guards. But here is the Duchess of Cambridge, chatting merrily with my son."

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to SportsAid House at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to SportsAid House at the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images Prince William, Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton

When Syed asked Ted if he knew the woman who he was talking to, his son replied, "No idea, but she was really nice."

"The Duchess had no idea she was chatting to the son of a journalist so I take this to reflect her character and sense of duty," Syed wrote. "The monarchy is in consummate hands."

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge attend the Sandwell Aquatics Centre during the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge attend the Sandwell Aquatics Centre during the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Chris Jackson/Getty Images Princess Charlotte with Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Commonwealth Games

Kate, 40, met up with her husband and daughter in Birmingham, where they watched a number of sporting events and paid a visit to SportsAid, a charity that counts the Duchess of Cambridge as its royal patron.

Princess Charlotte's day at the Commonwealth Games — the 7-year-old royal's first solo outing with her parents —included showing off her royal handshake, intently watching a swim meet and enthusiastically cheering for the gymnastics competition, which she revealed is her favorite sport.