Your average Monday evening. It was gone 7pm as I left the office and headed towards Datchet. It is at this time in the evening when I have to make a decision. Do I take the M4, which is relatively speaking an easier journey (but slightly longer at 22 miles) or do I take my regular scenic route via Datchet and Windsor Great Park? I decided upon my usual route as I was not going directly home. I was going to collect an electrical item from Currys PC World (for my sins) at The Peel Centre.

As I headed into the village I noticed the blues and twos of a motorbike behind me and another had rushed ahead to hold the traffic. Somebody important was coming through with a full police escort. At first, I thought it has to be our Prime Minister, this being her home constituency although I was close – I was wrong. Somebody in charge of logistics had made a mistake. Or SWR trains were running behind schedule. There was a train stopping at Datchet station, so hence the barriers were down and a mini jam through the village. (Nothing out of the ordinary for me here, it happens more in the evening than in the morning) The Royal Range Rovers then decided to drive on the wrong side of the road to make sure they were first through when the barriers came back up. It at this point, while stuck in traffic I noticed Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in a second Range Rover following close behind. This was the Royal Party returning from an event in London or about to attend an event at Windsor Castle. Later traffic was stopped at the entrance to Windsor Farm Shop as the party went from public highway to private land.

While this was a minor inconvenience, it was nice to appreciate the fact that I live so close to an important landmark. Not just from a tourism aspect, sometimes we forget that this little castle is actually home. I made it to Currys PC World before they closed, although my transaction had to be processed three times (yes three) before I could finally leave the store with my purchase in hand. There are a multitude of reasons I prefer to shop online.