King Charles wore unique disguise on holiday so no-one would recognise him

The Royal Family will always have a challenge on their hands if they try and go incognito – but King Charles had a genius tactic in mind when he jokingly tried to disguise himself

Given that they are members of one of the most famous families in the world, the likelihood of them successfully going incognito is highly unlikely.

But the likes of King Charles and Prince William are, after all, only human and crave some peace and quiet without photographers surrounding them. Though their privacy is usually respected, some have been known to take drastic measures to ensure they get a break.

King Charles did just this during a skiing holiday to Switzerland in 1980. During a trip to Klosters, the then-prince donned a hilarious fake nose, moustache, glasses and a hat to trick the waiting press.

The eye-catching look likely attracted more attention than if he had gone without, but it is certainly hilarious. But King Charles isn’t the only member of the Royal Family to assume a different identity to protect his privacy as Prince William later followed suit.

The Prince of Wales graduated with Scottish Master of Arts degree in geography from St Andrew’s University in 2005 having begun his studies there in 2001. It was agreed that the prince would be afforded complete media privacy during his studies so that he could be as normal as possible.

While coverage was kept to only a handful of rare and agreed upon photoshoots, William came up with an additional tactic to secure even more secrecy. As he had enrolled under the already normal name of ‘William Wales’, the prince decided to go one further and use the fake name ‘Steve’ in certain scenarios so that any unwanted attention was deterred.

Prince William’s idea to use a false name was also adopted by his eldest son, Prince George. Whether this is a nickname or a strategy to protect his privacy, a member of the public said once she was walking her dog and came into contact with the young prince while he was playing near the Middleton home in Berkshire.

She said: “I was asked by a police minder not to take a photo of the children, which I didn’t, but George started stroking my dog. Just to be friendly, I engaged in a bit of small talk and I asked George what his name was, even though obviously I knew it. To my astonishment, he said, ‘I’m called Archie’, with a big smile on his face.”