Princess of Wales joins minibus run and village lunch in Pulborough
Catherine, Princess of Wales rode the village minibus, collected a 94-year-old from her bungalow and sat down to soup and crisps in West Sussex.
The visit took place at the weekly lunch club at Pulborough Village Hall on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. Around 50 people were there. The club was marking its 60th anniversary.
The Princess arrived with the rural minibus service that has run for 50 years. She helped pick up regular passengers on the way in, including 94-year-old Stella from her bungalow, before joining the table for lunch Mirror.
Lunch was red pepper and sweet potato soup with bread, cheese and crisps. The Princess asked for the bowl of crisps to be passed to her and nibbled a ready salted crinkle-cut crisp while she chatted Hello! Magazine. She said she loves ready salted.
There was a domestic detail too. The Princess said she loves doing the dishes while Prince William does the drying People. It came up in conversation with guests and volunteers at the tables.
The focus of the day was community transport. Kensington Palace, the office that supports the Prince and Princess of Wales, shared photos of the Princess with attendees and volunteers. Its account of the visit said she sat with guests to hear about the importance of the minibus link for older people living outside the town.
What makes this stand out is the ordinariness of the machinery. No stage. A minibus route, a village hall and a 60-year-old lunch list. The Princess simply joined the round and stayed for lunch.
