Prince William appears to have found a new side hustle outside the royal family.
William and his wife, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, surprised an Indian restaurant in Birmingham on Thursday and stifled laughter when William booked an unsuspecting caller’s reservation. Then they took to the kitchen to help staffers make handmade roti.
“We had a new head chef in the kitchen today @princeandpricnessofwales,” wrote The Indian Streatery restaurant in an Instagram Story that showed William with his hands full. “I guess we can break our all-female kitchen team rule for one day.”
Most of the laughter naturally occurred when William, who became next in line to the throne when Queen Elizabeth II died, and his father became the King, secured somebody’s table.
“Hope we told this customer the right place to go,” wrote the Prince and Princess of Wales in an Instagram Story showing them laughing as William tightly clutched the phone, per ET.
The royal outing reportedly aimed to “celebrate the city’s diverse culture and heritage” with a lighthearted video showing the couple greeting locals, chatting with patrons at the 180 Club — and playing darts at the Rectory bar.
Whether the royals will endeavor to work more closely with local businesses, as their official website claimed they aimed to “meet future leaders in the creative industries”, is unclear. Streatery owner Meena Sharma, at least, seems to have left an impression.
“The Sharma Family don’t just bring authentic Indian street food to the city but do so much in the community too, including their all-female chef team training many better cooks than us,” read an Instagram caption from the Prince and Princess of Wales.
William will have to confront members of his own family at his father’s coronation on May 6, as his estranged brother Prince Harry plans to attend. Meghan Markle, who allegedly experienced racism from the family before exiting with Harry, received praise after announcing her decision to skip the occasion.
“William is still upset about Harry’s book,” a source told ET about Harry’s bombshell Spare memoir. “He feels it was a betrayal, and he has no interest in communicating with Harry before the coronation about their disagreements.”
The coronation will reportedly include performances from Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Andrea Bocelli and Take That. Public perception of the royals remains precarious, however — with megastars like Ed Sheeran and Adele publicly declining to attend.