Royal Watch News

Prince Charles takes Tube to mark its 150 years

Jan 30, 2013, 16:02 GMT

Prince Charles and Camilla on the London Underground

Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla took their first joint trip on the London Underground today (30.01.13).

The heir to the throne - who last rode on the transport network 33 years ago - and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, spent three minutes travelling one stop on the Tube between Farringdon and King's Cross on the Metropolitan line to mark 150 years of the London Underground.

Charles - who opened the first stage of the Jubilee Line in 1979 - seemed keen to extend the journey as following its competition he asked senior Transport for London staff, who accompanied them on the jaunt, if they were just travelling for one stop.

But Camilla was delighted with the cleanliness of the Tube, saying: 'Very nice, very smart.'

The duchess sat opposite Metropolitan line manager Angela Back for the duration of the journey, and during the short trip Transport for London commissioner Sir Peter Hendy told Charles how the organisation had run a steam train on the Tube tracks two weeks ago to mark the anniversary.

The prince responded: 'Presumably the whole tunnel gets filled with soot?'

Following the journey, Angela said: 'It was a real honour to sit opposite them - I wasn't quite expecting that.

'She was asking me whether or not I had ever been stuck on one of the trains, when you are led out the front.

'Luckily I have not. She also asked whether you could walk from one end of the train to the other.'