The Princess of Wales has scaled the heights to make sure London drinkers get the perfect pint.
Kate climbed a ladder to stir a vat of ale as she and Prince William visited areas along the Thames to celebrate the power of the community.
As they visited some of the breweries making up the celebrated Bermondsey Beer Mile, the Princess tackled the steps up to the top of a brewing vessel and used a large wooden pole to give the beer a good mix up.
It came as William and Kate toured the Mile during a surprise visit to south London.
Earlier, the couple had stopped off at the world famous Borough market to see some of the food and drink providers there. The Princess of Wales turned barista, making a cappuccino during her time at Change Please, an award-winning social enterprise that tackles homelessness. It offers training to people experiencing homelessness and also guides them with advice and support around finding accommodation, getting a bank account and finding onward employment.
Kate clearly enjoyed her chance at rustling up a coffee, taking her time to swirl the milk into the drink before calling her husband over to try the results.
The Prince and Princess of Wales later joined forces on a visit to Humble Crumble, another award winning part of Borough Market. It was started in 2018 by Kim Innes who focused on fruit crumbles and quickly became so successful that her venture has now expanded to other markets.
Kate won praise for her skills in decorating the crumbles that were being made while William stuck to the more mundane task of balancing the fruit to crumble ratio.
Their time in south London also saw them take to the water as they toured the RNLI Tower Lifeboat station. They spoke to volunteers about their lifesaving work before Prince William took to the wheel of a boat.
The Tower Lifeboat station is the busiest of all the RNLI posts and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The surprise visit also saw Kate make a revelation about her health. During her time with some of the brewers on the Beer Mile, she spoke about her own relationship with alcohol since her cancer diagnosis, saying that she found it best to now avoid it.
And while he was happy to pop some hops into a brew, the Prince of Wales also found his drinking habits under the spotlight. Kate revealed that the future king is a big fan of cider.
However, Prince William – who has been seen with a pint or two in his hands on public engagements – also said he believed that pubs were crucial for local communities, noting that they were ”so important” and adding ”they are places for people and the community to come together.”
Publicans have, in recent times, spoken out about the impact of the end of Covid era tax relief for pubs and the struggle faced by some over business rates rises.
If William was making a political statement, it came with a royal staple attached. As is customary on any regal visit to a pub, the Prince and Princess of Wales did the honours and pulled a pint each.
