Kate and Charlotte were being driven through London when the royal duo chose to stop into a south London pub. Charlotte, who is third in line to the throne, popped into The Phoenix in Stockwell with her mum after being caught short on the A3 trunk road and needed to use the toilet.

Punters were shocked by the impromptu visit, with one 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 visit happened several years ago when Charlotte, now nine, was just three years old. She was led into the boozer by her mum, who held her hand.

They stopped at The Phoenix in Stockwell
Before the mum and daughter went into the pub, a plain-clothes female detective from the Royal Protection Squad made sure the coast was clear and checked the toilets for any risks.

A regular at the street corner pub, Maggie McKinney, told the MailOnline at the time: “I was sitting in my usual chair and when I looked up I saw Kate Middleton, I mean the Duchess of Cambridge (now the Princess of Wales) and her daughter Princess Charlotte. They seem very nice, totally normal. Princess Kate was holding her daughter’s hand. Princess Charlotte was just any other little girl.”

Maggie, 76, who has frequented the watering hole for more than a quarter of a century, said: “The Phoenix is a lovely little pub, very friendly.” Another regular who chose to remain anonymous added: “I was on my way to the pub when I saw the Duchess of Cambridge (now Princess of Wales) 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.”

Princess Charlotte was in the wedding party for Pippa Middleton’s wedding

A third recalled how officers stayed in the bar to wait for the pair. “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.”