There are very few places in the UK where Kate Middleton would be able to step out for a coffee and go unnoticed like a normal person but one small Scottish village nestled away in the countryside allows the Princess of Wales to do just that.
The beautiful village of Ballater lies just a few miles away from the Royal Family's summer residence Balmoral Castle and is a regular hangout spot for several members of the Firm, according to locals.
Senior royals such as Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla have been spotted popping into the local village in the past which sits in the heart of Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire.
Local man, David Cobban who was born and bred in the small village has owned the Brakeley Gift room shop in Ballater with his wife Wendy since 2015 and has met King Charles several times.
The 57-year-old who lives on the outskirts of the village said that the Royal Family, in particular Charles and Camilla have invested a great deal into Ballater and its 1,400 residents, the Express reports.
Mr Cobban claims the monarch and his wife are familiar faces in the village with their most recent visit being in April of this year.
The Princess of Wales began visiting the area with Prince William while they were dating and would stay in Tam-na-Ghar cottage on the Balmoral estate which was a gift reportedly left to the future King by the Queen Mother.
The businessman said Kate will occasionally come into the village for a coffee as she and the other royals are not harassed by the locals.
He said: “Kate does come down to the village from time to time. I think it's nice that they feel that they can do that.
“I know that, certainly when I’ve seen them out and about in the village, nobody bothers them, they have their privacy and people respect that they’re there on holiday, they just go about their business so they have normality.”
There are occasional sightings of the other royals in the village but the locals "respect their privacy", Mr Cobban insisted.
Instead of being seen as a celebrity figure, the local explains that the royals are treated like normal members of the community and their neighbours.
He continued: “To us, they’re just members of our community and I know that sounds odd but they’re neighbours to a lot of people who have known them for generations.
“Charles has been coming here since he was a baby so he knows about the local area as well as lots of people.”
Charles and Camilla were spotted in the village earlier this year in the lead-up to the King's Coronation where they were highly praised on social media for their down to earth nature.
The royal couple were seen visiting a newly opened restaurant called the Fish shop with one fan taking to Twitter to write “how lovely to see them out and about, casually talking to people.”
Another added: “How cool is that? Just out as normal people visiting a restaurant. The royals are great.”
The Royal Family are believed to be heading up to Balmoral together in August.
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