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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Rebecca Russell

Disguise Prince Charles wore on holiday so he could go under the radar

When members of the Royal Family appear in public, it is usually for a scheduled or official event - but the royals are only human after all and enjoy being as normal as possible when they can.

While they have been spotted everywhere from supermarkets to high streets, sometimes the royals opt for more drastic measures to protect their privacy.

Prince Charles did just this during a skiing holiday to Klosters, Switzerland in 1980.

The Prince of Wales is well-known for championing causes such as the environment and helping young people get their lives on track, among many others.

But just like other members of his family, Prince Charles enjoys getting his privacy when he can.

Prince Charles poses with some of the photographers he tried to trick (Tim Graham/Getty Images)

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So during a 1980 skiing trip to Klosters, the prince donned a fake nose, moustache, glasses and a hat - which likely attracted more attention than if he had gone without,

But Prince Charles isn't the only member of the Royal Family to assume a different identity to protect his privacy.

Prince Harry attracted a great deal of attention when it was revealed that he had Facebook and Instagram profiles and went by the name 'Spike Wells'.

Similarly, Prince Charles' eldest son, Prince William, came up with a genius idea to maintain his anonymity during his university years at St Andrew's.

Prince William used a different name (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Prince William at his graduation (UK Press via Getty Images)

Prince William graduated with a Scottish Master of Arts degree in geography from St Andrews University in 2005 having begun his studies there in 2001.

It was agreed that the prince would be afforded complete media privacy during his studies so that he could be as normal as possible. While coverage was kept to only a handful of rare and agreed upon photoshoots, William came up with an additional tactic to secure even more secrecy.

As he had enrolled under the already normal name of 'William Wales', the prince decided to go one further and come up with a fake name that he would use to deter any unwanted attention.

The name he chose to go by was 'Steve' - but this isn't William's only nickname as he was also known as 'Wombat' by his mother. In an NBC interview in 2007, William admitted to being stuck with the name, “I can’t get rid of it now,” he said.

“It began when I was two. I’ve been rightfully told because I can’t remember back that far, but when we went to Australia with our parents, and the wombat, you know, that’s the local animal, so I just basically got called that, not because I look like a wombat, or maybe I do.”

Prince George gave a fake name (PA)
Prince George tried to trick a member of the public who asked for his name (KENSINGTON PALACE/AFP via Getty)

Prince William's eldest son, Prince George, also came up with a genius tactic to protect his privacy.

A story emerged about George telling a dog walker near the Middleton family home in Berkshire that his name was Archie.

Speaking about the encounter the woman said: "I was asked by a police minder not to take a photo of the children, which I didn't, but George started stroking my dog. Just to be friendly I engaged in a bit of small talk and I asked George what his name was, even though obviously I knew it.

"To my astonishment, he said 'I'm called Archie' with a big smile on his face. I don't know why he calls himself Archie but kids often play with their names and I think it's lovely."

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