A man claims that he found his son "chatting merrily" with Kate Middleton after they met on a train to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.
Matthew Syed who is a former Commonwealth Gold medalist himself was going to the games with his young son who he says met the royal while he was nipping to the loo.
While he was away he could hear his little one, named Ted, striking up with a woman but was jaw-dropped when it turned out to be the Duchess of Cambridge, who had no security or entourage.
Kate was present at a number of events, including swimming, hockey and gymnastics. She was joined by Prince William and their middle child Princess Charlotte, and if the account is true, appears to have travelled there on public transport.
The Mirror reports that Syed and his son were just minutes from their stop when the ex-athlete and now columnist with The Times encountered the royal.
In his column in The Times today, he says as he used the facilities, he could hear a lady outside asking his son if he was on the train alone, before Ted replied "No my dad is there" - pointing to the toilet.
He recalls how as he washed his hands, he could hear his son and the lady striking up a conversation with the boy showing the woman his father's gold medal before leaving the bathroom.
He writes: "'Come on Ted,' I say, 'we have to get off!' 'Oh, and thanks for keeping him company . . . ' I say turning to the woman waiting her turn when I am stopped in my tracks. My brow furrows, my face works. “Kate?”, I blurt out. There are no security guards in the vestibule; no armed guards. But here is the Duchess of Cambridge, chatting merrily with my son."
When they finally got off the train the former sportsman says he asked his son if he knew who he'd been chatting to, but he says Ted said he had no idea although she was "really nice".
And Mr Syed added: "The Duchess had no idea she was chatting to the son of a journalist so I take this to reflect her character and sense of duty. The monarchy is in consummate hands."
At the Games yesterday, Kate wore an elegant white Alexander McQueen suit and was seen chatting to her daughter, seven-year-old Charlotte as they watched the sport. Senior royals have been attending the Games this week - as the Queen, who is 96 years old, continues her annual summer break at Balmoral.
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