Do Royals Do Their Own Grocery Shopping?

Earlier this week, Kate Middleton was reportedly spotted grocery shopping (opens in new tab) while eight months pregnant at a Waitrose supermarket in Norfolk, England. A shopper saw the Duchess of Cambridge filling up her cart in one of the aisles, according to Hello! (opens in new tab). She was later spotted loading up her Range Rover with her groceries (which were all consciously packed in reusable bags). The pregnant duchess—who sported blush pink coat, turtleneck sweater, black skinny jeans, and wedge booties—was also accompanied by a body guard for her errand run.

The duchess has been seen in supermarket aisles before. She was previously photographed (opens in new tab) at the Waitrose in Anglesey a week after her royal wedding with Prince William in 2011, and she was seen at the Tesco (opens in new tab) in North Wales later that year.

This week's surprising sighting brings an obvious question to mind: does the royal family do their own grocery shopping? The answer is on occasion, and it depends on the family member.

It's unlikely we'll see more senior members of the royal family, like the Queen, Prince Charles, or the Duchess of Cornwall frequenting their local grocery stores, royal expert and founder of the Royal Musings (opens in new tab) blog, Marlene Koenig, tells BAZAAR.com.

"I would sincerely doubt that the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall nip out to a local Tesco's or Waitrose, certainly not the Queen, as their household staffs take care of shopping—and I expect most is delivered to their respective homes," she says.

However, supermarket cameos may be more common among the younger royals, like Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate Middleton. "I doubt she does the weekly shopping, as she does have a small household staff at Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall who probably take care of most things. But I think the Duchess of Cambridge, who has lived in a non-royal world, takes a more active role in what her family eats," Koenig explains.

If the duchess did do the weekly groceries, her supermarket sightings would be a lot more common. But she likely keeps her public errand runs to a minimum due to security reasons, Koenig suggests.

Although the expectant royal stepped out without disguises, her brother-in-law usually opts to cover up. "Harry has been known to don a baseball cap to be as incognito as possible," Koenig says.

Prince Harry revealed last year that he does all of his own groceries. "People would be amazed by the ordinary life William and I live. I do my own shopping," he told Newsweek (opens in new tab). "Sometimes, when I come away from the meat counter in my local supermarket, I worry someone will snap me with their phone. But I am determined to have a relatively normal life, and if I am lucky enough to have children, they can have one too."

He also added, "Even if I was king, I would do my own shopping." His fiancée, Meghan Markle, was reportedly spotted at a supermarket close to Kensington Palace during her first few times visiting the prince. "I would not be surprised if she will continue to visit a grocery store from time to time after wedding," Koenig adds.

Non-working royals, like Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, who don't participate in official engagements "will most certainly have been regular visitors of grocery stores," Koenig says. The royal sisters probably did all of their own shopping while living in New York City, where Beatrice currently resides.

And for those of you who don't believe the woman photographed at Waitrose this week is actually the Duchess of Cambridge, Koenig insists "it was most certainly was." The giveaways? She's worn that blush Joseph coat (opens in new tab) before and the bodyguard with her is her Personal Protection Officer, the Royal Musings writer adds.

It also makes sense that she'd shop at Waitrose, considering it has two royal warrants (opens in new tab) (which means it's been recognized for providing goods and/or services to the Queen, Prince Philip, or Prince Charles). Plus, it's in Norfolk, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's country home, Anmer Hall, is located. Case closed.