Prince William was once mistaken for a royal invader!
PC Jon Chandler, who is retiring from the Norfolk Police, reflected on his 30 years of service at Eastern Daily Press – including a busy night when her dog “chased after” Queen Elizabeth’s grandson at the monarch’s Sandringham, his country estate where royalty traditionally gathers for Christmas.
“I had a particularly interesting night when I was walking my dog off the leash and he chased the future King of England,” Chandler told the channel. “It was late at night and Prince William was walking towards the garages and the dog caught his scent and ran after him.”
Fortunately, Prince William received the incident “as a good joke”.
“It could have gone terribly wrong if he had been bitten, but luckily the dog did what it was supposed to do and just stayed behind and barked at him,” recalls Chandler. “It was a memorable night.”
RELATED: You Will Never Believe How Queen Elizabeth’s Corgis Are Fed
Like many members of the royal family, Prince William, 38, loves dogs. Unfortunately, he and Kate Middleton announced that they lost their family dog, a black cocker spaniel called Lupo, in November.
William and Kate welcomed Lupo into their family in 2012, about a year before the birth of their first child, Prince George. Lupo later starred alongside George in the little king’s third birthday portraits.
“Unfortunately, last weekend, our beloved dog Lupo passed away. He has been in the heart of our family for nine years and we will miss him a lot. – W&C”, they wrote on social media.
RELATED: The name of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Black Lab has finally been revealed – and has a special meaning
Prince William is not the only member of royalty to be mistaken for a stranger during an evening stroll. Queen Elizabeth once had a close contact with a guard at Buckingham Palace who could have shot her after mistaking her for an intruder during an evening walk, The Times of London reported.
When struggling to sleep, the 94-year-old royalty occasionally strolls, according to the outlet. During one of those trips at 3 am inside the palace walls, the patrolman came across a “figure in the darkness” and assumed the worst, according to the newspaper.
However, when he shouted to see who was there, he discovered that it was the queen herself.
I can’t get enough PEOPLERoyals coverage? Subscribe to our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
“Bloody hell, Your Majesty, I almost shot you,” the guard would have told her after realizing his mistake.
“Okay,” she replied. “Next time, I’ll call you soon so you don’t have to shoot me.”
Watch: Prince William ‘proud’ of grandparents Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for having the Covid vaccine