Kate and William meet TikTok royalty! Prince and Princess express their verdict on the Elizabeth line
As two of the oldest members of the royal family, the Prince and Princess of Wales are used to meeting people from all walks of life.
But yesterday, the royal couple stumbled upon internet royalty when they filmed a hilarious video featuring TikTok star Francis Bourgeois.
Ahead of the coronation, Prince William, 40, and Kate Middleton, 41, traveled from Acton to Tottenham Court Road on the Elizabeth Line to visit the Dog and Duck pub in Soho.
In an effort to reach a “younger audience”, Palace staff invited the train enthusiast – who lives in Battersea, London and has more than 2.9 million followers on TikTok – to meet the royal couple at the end of their journey.
Tonight, the 22-year-old social media star – whose real name is Luke Nicolson – posted a hilarious video about his interaction with Kate and William.
Francis Bourgeois – whose real name is Luke Nicolson – has more than 2.9 million followers on TikTok. The 22-year-old was invited to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales on their Elizabeth liner tour today
The royal couple spoke to the social media star as they stepped off the subway. Prince William told Luke the Elizabeth line was “really good.”
The short clip begins with Luke walking through the newly refurbished Tottenham Court Road station with his signature GoPro.
He said: ‘Have you ever been to Tottenham Court station and wanted to go east and the train you wanted to take was ready to leave?
‘Well, me too. Almost every time.’
The TikToker then sprints through the station as footage shows a close-up of his face, filmed with the fish-eye lens.
After getting onto the tube just as the doors close, Luke grabs hold of the banister before collapsing into an empty seat.
While recovering from the sprint, the TikToker sees Kate and William getting ready to exit the subway.
Before getting off the train, Kate – dressed in a tailored Eponine coat and carrying a white Mulberry bag – shakes hands with him.
Kate beams at Luke and says, “Very nice to meet you.”
Francis filmed his interaction with the royal couple with his GoPro. He became world famous thanks to his clips of his face filmed with a fisheye lens
The royal couple’s official Instagram account responded to Luke’s video, telling him it was ‘nice to see him’
Luke shook hands with Prince William before getting off the tube this afternoon. The couple were on their way to the Dog and Duck pub in Soho
The video begins with Luke sprinting through Tottenham Court Road tube station to catch his Elizabeth line train
After also being greeted by Prince William, a star-struck Luke struggles to get his words out and simply says, “Hello. Nice to meet you.
“Hope you enjoyed the Elizabeth Line!”
William smiles at his wife and says, ‘We have, it’s been good! Nice day. Bye.’
Stunned by the royal interaction, Luke says “cheerio” before sinking back into his chair.
Luke posted the clip to his social media accounts tonight and jokingly captioned the video: ‘The Elizabeth Line sprint at Tottenham Court Road is quite fun once you get used to it!’
Tap and go! Prince William and Kate showed off their skills on the London Underground today as they took the Tube
The Prince and Princess of Wales were in high spirits as they took the Elizabeth Line to the Dog & Duck Pub in London’s West End today
Prince William and Kate chatted with TFL staff as they rode the Elizabeth Line to their engagement this afternoon
The prince was animated as he chatted with staff members on his way to Soho today (pictured)
The couple traveled to the engagement on The Elizabeth Line where they chatted with members of the TFL staff
The Prince and Princess of Wales beamed as they traveled on the new Metro line today, which opened in honor of the late Queen
Surprise! The royals seemed completely at home on public transport as they chatted with staff members
Fellow commuters and travelers seemed baffled to see the couple on the Elizabeth Line earlier today
The late Queen officially opened the Elizabeth Line last May in one of her last public royal engagements
On Instagram, Kate and William’s official account responded with a waving emoji and wrote, “Nice to see you!”
Since the video was uploaded tonight, Luke’s video has garnered more than 19,700 “likes” on TikTok and another 23,700 on Instagram.
Luke went viral on TikTok in 2021, while still a Mechanical Engineering student at Nottingham University, and began sharing clips of himself traveling across the country spotting his favorite trains.
It was the couple’s first trip on the Elizabeth Line, which the late Queen Elizabeth opened nearly a year ago on May 17, 2022.
Royal aides said the couple “occasionally” travel privately on the tube.
“What’s the feedback you’ve gotten since opening?” William asked.
“Everyone loves it,” TFL employee Mr. Grindley told him, explaining how it had made many trips around London shorter and easier.
‘And how green are we now,’ William asked with a laugh. “You know I have to ask that question!”
Excited royal fans gathered in huge crowds to catch a glimpse of the couple as they arrived at the pub in Soho today
Prince William and Kate Middleton got into the festive spirit today as they visited Soho ahead of the coronation this weekend
William learned how the line’s trains are electric, and how much of the earth excavated to build the line was moved and reused for a nature reserve. “It’s good, it’s clearly being thought about now,” he said.
Speaking to Miss Serco about the opening of the line last year, William said: ‘I can’t quite believe it’s been almost a year. It’s really nice to get the chance to see everything after my grandmother opened it.’
When asked which of them would be working this weekend, Kate asked: ‘Do you think there will be extra pressure on the service during the coronation weekend? How do you arrange that?’
One of the group then asked how the royal family’s preparations were going, and Kate replied, ‘Yes, it’s going to be a very busy time. We are coming. I still feel like we’re trying to get ducks in a row.’
After the short journey from Acton, via Paddington to Tottenham Court Road, the couple received gifts from Mr Lord – a plaque of a TFL Roundel, or ‘Crowndle’ as Mr Lord described it, inscribed ‘King Charles III’. and a TFL roundel lightbox for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Dozens of stunned onlookers then rushed to the escalator with their phones to film the pair as they ascended the escalator.
After the couple left the station, Mr Lord said: ‘It was wonderful to welcome them on their first visit to the Elizabeth Line. It is approaching the anniversary of the Queen’s opening and they were very impressed.’