Inside scoop on the ultimate royal hangouts

They are the future King and Queen of England, so who better to be your London tour guides than Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.

We have the inside track on the ultimate royal hangouts, from where Kate loves to pick up one of her famous fashion bargains to the pub where they enjoyed a secret pre-wedding kiss. 

Now you can follow in their royal footsteps for the trip of a lifetime.

Party like Prince William

With their home a four-storey 21-room apartment in Kensington palace, the royal couple spend most of their time in and around the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The couple have been spotted at the hot Austrian-themed club Bodo Schloss in London’s High Street Kensington – a stone’s throw from their front door.

While the couple are more likely to be bleary-eyed from Prince George’s midnight cries than any wild partying, both have been spotted at the tiny, alpine-themed venue, which you can identify from the enormous cow outside. Shots are served on skis and there’s even a man dressed up as a goat running around.

Bodo’s is where everyone from Prince Harry to David Beckham like to get “schloshed”, and it makes a change from Boujis in South Kensington and Mahiki in Mayfair, other popular clubs with the royals.

Also on one’s nightlife circuit is Loulou’s in Shepherd’s Market, Mayfair, so exclusive it doesn’t even mark its maroon door. William and Kate were regulars, alongside A-list stars like Tom Cruise.

Stars love it because it’s so dark you can barely see your drink ­- let alone who is cosying at one of the tables. Watch out for the stuffed giraffe to greet you at the Madagascan bar.

The royal’s restaurants

Feeling peckish? Kate and Wills love to grab a bite at the stylish courtyard café at Bluebird restaurant on the King’s Road in Chelsea. The couple enjoyed dinner at the contemporary eaterie before their wedding, while Kate was regularly dining al fresco in the courtyard before the big day with mum Carole and sister Pippa. Head chef, Matthew Robinson, former protégé of Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay, is famed for his locally sourced cuisine.

Bumpkin in Notting Hill is also a must for the couple. At Christmas, Kate, Wills and their 27 staff enjoyed lunch with mulled wine and all the trimmings in the Queen’s Room, watched over by a large portrait of her Maj.

For coffee hits, Kate enjoys the cafes in and around the King’s Road, her regular retail stomping ground, but she has also been spotted in Starbucks opposite Kensington Palace – she needs a latte like the rest of us. 

Museums and culture

Outings have to cater for their little Prince, so they recently took in the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum. The doting mum and dad watched gorgeous George trying to catch all the beautiful butterflies for his official first birthday photographs.

Shop like Kate

Kate, like us, loves a bargain and one of her favourite shopping haunts is Bicester luxury outlets in Oxfordshire.

Recently, shoppers were so excited exchanging smiles with the Duchess as she rifled through the rails at childrenswear boutique Bonpoint that Twitter was buzzing with reports of the royal sighting. The Duchess made a beeline for Reiss’ discount rails and Lacoste.

Back in Chelsea, and with a palace to refurbish, Kate loves shopping for her home, and spent nearly an hour looking at fabrics at the high-end interiors store Bernard Thorp store on Chelsea Manor Street.

When she has a day to herself, Kate will have her hair styled at Richard Ward with her personal stylist James Pryce in Duke of York Square, Chelsea, followed by some shopping in Zara, Jigsaw and Reiss (again).

She will then pop into Peter Jones along the King’s Road, and, of course LK Bennett, for her now signature “Sledge” nude heels. She also is a regular at Emila Wickstead’s exclusive atelier in Cadogan Place. Shopping for the little Prince is also a must, and among her favourites are the adorable designs in Blue Almonds on Walton Street in Chelsea.

Gentlemen hoping to copy William’s princely style can put their best foot forward in John Lobb’s bespoke handmade shoes in the store in St James’ Street.

Kate and the Goring

Think of the five star Goring hotel in Belgravia and you immediately think royals. It’s where Kate spent her last night before joining the firm, and her family snapped up all 71 rooms.

Enjoy a stiff drink in the quintessentially English bar before heading out to catch a movie at the couple’s favourite cinema, Cineworld on the Fulham Road, before retiring to one of the exclusive suites to end the day.

The Earl and Countess of Strathearn, as they are known in Scotland, love to head north of the border – Granny has a castle there after all – and they recently spent a night at the famous Gleneagles hotel in Perthshire.

Royal country pursuits 

Of course anyone who wants to really step in the royals’ shoes should take a trip to Bucklebury in Berkshire where Kate grew up.

One of their favourite pubs is the Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingley, where landlord John Haley was one of the lucky locals to be invited to the royal wedding, while The Cross Keys pub in Newbury, Berkshire, is where the couple famously enjoyed a pre-wedding kiss.

And of course Kate and Wills made no secret of their love of the windswept island of Angelsey off North Wales, where they first set up home before they got married.

They lived in a secluded farmhouse which was part of Grade II listed Bodorgan Hall overlooking the Irish Sea. They would walk their cocker spaniel, Lupo, along the beach and follow it with a well-earned drink in their local pub, The White Eagle. Then Kate would pick up some Welsh specialties in the Menai branch of Waitrose, where the Duchess famously was photographed.

What a life!