12 Times Historical Royals Snuck Out In Secret To Do Totally Normal Things

Former King of Spain Juan Carlos I escaped the confines of royal life by riding his motorcycle. He was also sure to wear his helmet with a visor for extra disguise. The king's motorcycle rides once put him into unexpected contact with a subject: He rescued a stranded motorist who had run out of gas. After dropping the man off at a gas station, the king later admitted: I didn't want to take off my helmet when we got there. But he kept saying he wanted to thank me, and asking my name. So I took off my helmet, said, "My name is Juan Carlos," and shook his hand. He was really quite surprised.

Cleopatra VII - the final pharaoh of Egypt - was an intelligent political actor in her own right. But though undeniably regal, Cleopatra also knew how to have a good time. Though it is hard to separate fact from fiction in the life of the famous Egyptian queen - especially because she was "the target of one of the very first negative PR campaigns" - ancient sources do indicate that she had a wild, unconventional love affair with Mark Antony. Apparently, the couple walked around the streets of Alexandria at night in disguise. According to Plutarch: At night, [Cleopatra] accompanied [Antony] as he stationed himself outside doors and windows to mock the people inside. On these excursions, she would wear a maid's outfit, taking her cue from Antony's fondness for dressing up as a slave. He always returned having suffered insults and frequent beatings as well, but most were not fooled by the disguise. In fact, the Alexandrians delighted in his pranks, and played along in a refined and cultured way, since they had a genuine affection for Antony and said that, while he wore his tragic mask in Rome, when he was with them, he put on his comic mask.

The Elfstedentocht is the Netherlands' answer to the Tour de France: Participants ice skate between 11 cities via frozen canal, a distance totaling around 124 miles. The event is so embedded in Dutch identity that a member of the royal family even participated in it - but unbeknownst to most people. In 1986, Prince Willem-Alexander registered for the event. But he did so under the pseudonym W.A. van Buren. The royal formerly known as van Buren became King Willem-Alexander in 2013.

England's Henry VIII was apparently a huge fan of disguises - even though they sometimes awkwardly backfired. He once met his future bride Anne of Cleves incognito in hopes that her heart would recognize his. It didn't. According to another story, Henry struck out again when walking disguised around London at night to see how good the city constables were at their job. The problem? He was armed with a walking stick that looked like a weapon. Concerned that a man was suspiciously armed, one of the constables questioned the disguised king and locked him up for the night. Going against type, Henry didn't imprison or execute the constable - he actually rewarded him for his diligence.

Theophilos may have been born into the ruling family of the Byzantine Empire, but that doesn't mean he was completely out of touch with the common people. Emperor Theophilos made himself relatively accessible. On the way to church, he often spoke with commoners. He even strolled the streets of Constantinople incognito to chat with his subjects and get a sense of what they needed.

On May 8, 1945, all of London erupted with joy on V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, when Germany finally surrendered to the Allied forces. Queen Elizabeth II - then a 19-year-old princess - and her younger sister Princess Margaret desperately wanted to be part of the celebrations. So they went among millions of people on the streets of London to celebrate - and even joined a conga line. As the queen remembered decades later: When the excitement of the flood lights being switched on got through to us, my sister and I realized we couldn't see what the crowds were enjoying. My mother had put her tiara on for the occasion, so we asked my parents if we could go out and see for ourselves. We cheered the king and queen on the balcony and then walked miles through the street. I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief. [...] I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life. To blend in with the revelers, Elizabeth donned her military uniform - she had volunteered with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during WWII. Elizabeth and Margaret's cousin Margaret Rhodes was with them, and she claimed: It was like a wonderful escape for the girls. I don't think they'd ever been out among millions of people. It was just freedom - to be an ordinary person.

From 1697 to 1698, Peter I - "The Great" - of Russia embarked on the so-called Grand Embassy, a whirlwind tour of Western Europe. It was a hands-on work trip where he petitioned foreign embassies and learned ways to westernize Russia. Using the name Pyotr Mikhailov, he did much of the tour incognito. In Amsterdam, he tried to disguise himself as a sailor and carpenter. But despite his attempts to cloak his identity, his height usually gave him away - Peter was 6 foot 7 inches. By the time he reached London, Peter attracted so many crowds that he often disguised himself as an ordinary Englishman.

In the 1980s, while hanging out in London with musician Freddie Mercury, comedian Kenny Everett, and actress Cleo Rocos at Everett's home, Princess Diana found out the trio was going to cap off their night by going to the high-profile gay bar the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. According to Rocos, Diana wanted to go, too, but worried about attracting too much attention, so she agreed to go in disguise. Rocos later recalled: She just wanted the thrill of going in, undetected, to order one drink, and would then leave right away, she promised. By this point she had tried on the outfit Kenny [Everett] had intended to wear - a camouflage army jacket, hair tucked up into a leather cap, and dark aviator sunglasses.

Though not born a royal, Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor of France in 1804. By the time he turned 40 years old in 1809, he had successfully invaded the Austrian Empire and stationed his army in Vienna. Napoleon's 40th birthday wasn't a simple, low-key affair. The celebrations included music, feasts, and fireworks across the city - which city residents tried to ignore. To view the celebrations, Napoleon and a member of his staff disguised themselves and wandered around the city.

King Charles XI of Sweden was an absolutist ruler whose personality lightened his image. Charles did not like showiness and embraced a low-key lifestyle. His preference for simple garments gave rise to his nickname "Greycoat" and stories about his visits with commoners. The jury is still out as to whether those stories are fact or fiction.

When Diana, Princess of Wales, was raising her two sons Princes William and Harry, she made sure that they didn't only have silver spoons in their mouths. To give her sons a taste of normalcy, she sometimes shepherded them out of the palace for clandestine outings. Among their secret destinations: McDonald's. The princes especially loved the toys that came with Happy Meals. Diana tragically passed in a car crash in 1997, and her sons continue to feel her absence. In a recent documentary, Prince Harry shared that some of his happiest memories of his mother were of Diana taking them for burgers or on other outings: Or sneaking us into the cinema, or driving through the country with the roof down on her old-school BMW listening to Enya, I think it was - aw, blast from the past. All of that was her being a mum.

As young college kids in love, Prince William and Kate Middleton went on low-key dates all over St. Andrews, Scotland, the home of their university. They've continued their clandestine nights out during married life. In early 2020, Prince and Princess of Wales attended a performance of Cirque du Soleil in London without anyone spotting them. The royal pair have also been known to frequent their local grocery story, movie theater, and pub.