Prince William , Kate and their two children are believed to have boarded a train at Chester Railway Station back to London on Sunday.
The family were seen next to Range Rovers in the Carriage Shed, alongside the station about 2.30pm yesterday (November 5), where it is possible to gain direct access to the platforms without going through the main entrance.
Staff at the station saw the young family walk past including Kate with her ‘bump’ as she is pregnant with her third child.
The Chronicle understands the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by royal protection officers, missed their original train at 2.33pm so had to get on an ‘empty’ train to Crewe about 10 minutes later.
Helsby scuba diver describes her encounter with the Duke of Cambridge
It isn’t known why the family were in the area but there was speculation on social media they may have been visiting Eaton Hall where the Grosvenors held their annual bonfire and fireworks display on Saturday evening.
The two families are close. The seventh Duke of Westminster is a godfather to Prince George. And his mother, the Duchess of Westminster, is William's godmother.
But Grosvenor Estate says it does not comment on private visits so cannot confirm or deny whether the future King of England was in residence.
Stephen Foote, a solicitor with Allington Hughes Law, stumbled across the royal party at the railway station by chance. He thought they were about to get into the nearby Range Rovers but it now appears they had just alighted before catching their train home.
He said: “There was one plain clothes officer who asked me to walk a different route to get to my car parked in City Place . No outriders. Looked like two Range Rovers. Think the children were with them. William looked very ordinarily dressed with a green sweater and Nike trainers.”
Stephen managed to sneak a couple of long distance photographs which appear to show Prince William and Kate, with her back to the camera, plus a nanny holding what looks like Princess Charlotte and possibly a plain clothes police officer.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said protocol was to offer ‘no comment’ unless the royals were on official duties.
Cheshire Police indicated a training exercise last Thursday (November 3) involving a Bentley being escorted through Chester by police motorcyclists was unrelated.