As Prince William pulled a pint at the Prince of Peckham Pub, he pledged to support public houses and the communities they foster.
The Prince of Wales carried out engagements in South London on Wednesday to spotlight how communities are responding to issues ranging from poverty and social isolation to youth-led social change.
At the Prince of Peckham Pub, the future king joined a Chatty Patty session—a weekly meeting to encourage the community to socialise and interact with people—and spoke of how public houses are the “glue and fabric” of communities in the United Kingdom.
William said: “I love pubs. I want to do as much as I can to support pubs because I love the community. We need to protect our pubs.”
The Prince of Peckham teased their royal visit on their social channels, writing that they had a “huge surprise” for anyone attending the Chatty Patty gathering. Founded in 2017 by Clement Ogbonnaya, the pub aims to be a ‘pub for all’ and hosts many events throughout the year to help combat isolation and loneliness.
Ogbonnaya told reporters that William’s visit will help put Chatty Patty on the map, and that “we want Chatty Patty to exist not just in Peckham but all around London.”
He added: “The key thing [William] was talking about was how do we, because there are a lot of disenfranchised young black Britons in the country, how do we address that – how do we get more of these spaces with all of this energy, all this love and enthusiasm throughout the whole of London.”
While there, William tried his hand at pulling a pint of Red Stripe lager with Ogbonnaya. The future king commented “not bad” when he placed his glass next to the owner’s, and Ogbonnaya joked with reporters about the pressure he’d felt to pour better.
“The pressure was on, I’m not going to lie. He can’t beat me, he can’t pour a better pint than me, but it wasn’t too far off.”
Prince William met with community members during his visit, and also had a lunch of jerk chicken and plantain that he raved about on the way out the door. “The jerk chicken, it blew my mind. I’m hoping Deliveroo can deliver this to Windsor.”
