The Wales trio—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—are on summer holiday from Lambrook School until September 6. Typically, the three—along with, obviously, their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales—use this time to not only go to Balmoral (the traditional end-of-summer getaway for members of the royal family) but also somewhere else on vacation, usually tropical. While on these trips, Kate likes to go out by herself, The Mirror reports—especially to museums and art galleries—and, the outlet reports, uses a special tactic so she won’t get recognized. (She is, after all, one of the most famous women in the world.)
We feel a bit guilty spoiling Kate’s secret, but, according to royal expert Tina Brown, Kate enjoys a slice of normalcy by going out early in the morning, before 8 a.m., so she could beat the public. These solo outings, Brown writes in her book The Palace Papers, are done to “nourish her life”; and, while this trick works most of the time, she was once spotted at a David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy by a surprised royal aficionado.
“I miss my history of art,” Kate reportedly told the fan, per The Daily Express. “It’s what I do to get my fix.” Kate studied art history at the University of St. Andrews, graduating in 2005.
In addition to being an art enthusiast, Kate is actually quite the artist herself. Her sketches were on display in the program for younger sister Pippa’s wedding in 2017, where she drew St. Mark’s Church, the location where the ceremony was held, on the front cover.
So, if you know Kate and crew will be in town, avoid the museums and art galleries early in the morning—a future queen is trying to tap into a long-held passion, and would prefer to do it in peace.
