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.”
