The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Birmingham as they return to royal duties – best photos
The Prince and Princess of Wales recently made their first public appearance in Birmingham after spending the Easter holidays with their children. The couple celebrated the city’s diverse culture and heritage and hosted local business owners at an event in The Rectory in the historic Jewellery Quarter.
During their visit, the royal couple also made a stop at Indian Streatery, a family-run independent Indian restaurant based in the city centre. William and Kate helped out in the kitchen and tried their hand at making handmade roti, a simple flatbread often served with cooked vegetables and curries. The couple expressed their love for curries and said they secretly try lots of curry houses around the country. Kate confirmed that their children enjoy Indian food as well.
The Indian Streatery is run by the Sharma family, led by Head Chef and mum Meena, who came up with the original vision to bring real Indian street food to the streets of Birmingham. The restaurant, which is home to an all-female chef team, started as a street food stall in Digbeth and was a firm favourite at the city’s Digbeth Dining Club.
William even took a booking from a customer over the phone, which had everyone in hysterics. According to the restaurant’s general manager Dhiraj Sharma, it was a surreal experience to have royalty at their humble abode. Confirming Kate as the winner of the roti cooking competition, Mrs Sharma said that there was only one winner, and the person who knew they weren’t the winner admitted it as well.
The couple’s second engagement of the day was at The Rectory, an established pub and restaurant with a rich history spanning back decades. The Rectory sits on the edge of The Jewellery Quarter, a hub for artistic businesses in the city that produces up to 40 per cent of all jewellery made in the UK.
During their visit to The Rectory, the Prince and Princess met representatives including designers, artists, and playwrights and heard more about how the sector is growing and their experiences of opening and running their businesses in the city. William and Kate then joined the guests for a game of interactive darts downstairs in the 180 Club.
It was a busy week for the royal couple, with Prince William making a rare TV appearance on ITV’s Lorraine to thank her for her ongoing work on the No Butts campaign and to pay tribute to the late Dame Deborah James. Meanwhile, according to the Court Circular, Kate met with Professor Marc Brackett (Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence) and held an Early Years Meeting at Windsor Castle on Wednesday ahead of her public outing with her husband in Birmingham on Thursday.
Overall, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ visit to Birmingham was a great success, celebrating the city’s diverse culture and heritage and meeting with local business owners and representatives from the artistic sector.
