‘I hope you enjoyed the Elizabeth Line’
Francis Bourgeois ran into the Prince and Princess of Wales on the Tube on Thursday, and it was about as amusing as you’d expect.
In a post on his Instagram page, the trainspotting icon is seen running for the Elizabeth line at Tottenham Court Road, and just managing to squeeze through the doors, before using the central pole to slow himself down.
Taking a seat with his head camera on, Will and Kate soon came into shot.
The Princess of Wales shook Francis’ hand as she passed with William a step behind, saying, “nice to meet you”.
An excited-looking Francis replied, “Nice to meet you, I hope you enjoyed the Elizabeth Line” as he also shakes hands with Will, before adding, “cheerio”.
Francis was invited by Kensington Palace, royal aides said, as it was hoped the experience would then reach a “younger audience”.
He has 1.8m followers on Instagram.
The royals rode the tube at lunchtime to the Dog and Duck pub where they were said to have enjoyed pints of cider.
They caught the Elizabeth Line, named after William’s late grandmother, at Acton and went three stops to Tottenham Court Road, where they ran into Francis, before attending an engagement in Soho.
At Acton, the couple heard from Transport for London workers about how they are preparing for the Coronation weekend.
At one point Kate was asked about the event on Saturday and replied: “Yes, it’s going to be a busy time. We’re getting there. I still feel like we’re trying to get ducks in a row.”
At the pub, William said: “I find you get the best conversations in pubs,” William said. “People are more relaxed. Restaurants you don’t get it. You get it with the food but not the conversation.”
They were then accompanied by pub managers Chris Watts and Maria Sojkova behind the bar, where William poured a “perfect pint”, according to waitress Bernie Kidson, before meeting crowds of wellwishers outside the venue.
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