The Cambridge family were just spotted enjoying a low-key pub lunch in Norfolk

Insert line about the royals being *just* like us.

The Cambridge family were just spotted enjoying a low-key pub lunch in Norfolk

Insert line about the royals being *just* like us.

It's been an exciting few weeks for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Between the launch of Kate’s Hold Still photography book, a round of doubles with Emma Raducanu, and the impending release of William's new BBC documentary, the typically low-key couple have scarcely paused for breath since IRL duties resumed.

So it only makes sense that when it comes to their days off, the hard-working royals enjoy nothing more than a chill pub lunch and some quality time with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Yep, the whole Cambridge clan were spotted tucking into some traditional pub grub near their Norfolk bolthole, Anmer Hall, at the weekend, having swapped their typically formal attire for jeans, t-shirts and trainers.

In photographs acquired by The Sun, the royal family of five were seen "laughing and chatting and clearly enjoying each other's company", with the tabloid's source saying: "There was no security around, just them chilling like any other family. Wills had a burger and chips."

According to the onlooker, the family also had their dog, a spaniel, in tow, and William wasn't afraid to demonstrate his hands-on approach to parenting.

"There was one particularly touching moment where one of the children got upset because their food was too hot," the source recounted. "William was so fast to reassure them and sort them out. It was fantastic to see."

Adorable.

It doesn't come as a surprise that the Cambridges feel so relaxed in Norfolk, with William recently opening up about his and Kate's special relationship with the coastal county, which he credits to his late grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh.

"For me, coming here and now living here, everything that he [Prince Philip] has done has led up to Catherine and I feeling that this is a part of the country we want to be in," William said in last week's BBC One documentary Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers. "We love this area, it feels like home, and that’s because of what he’s created."

Indeed the Cambridges spent much of lockdown at their Norfolk residence, homeschooling their children and undertaking royal duties via Zoom. Though it's since been reported that the family have returned to London for the new school term, it's nice to see that Anmer Hall is still their residence of choice when it comes to spending some quality time together as a family.

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.