Naan but the brave for Prince William
Prince William tucked into what must be the biggest naan bread on the planet during a visit to a curry restaurant in York on Wednesday. William and 47 friends ran up a bill of £1300 ($2600), matching the size of the offerings.
A family-sized naan bread at the Saffron Desi restaurant in York
The restaurant had been expecting a group to arrive but staff were amazed when the Prince and his RAF colleagues turned up in such numbers.
The owner said: “As soon as he walked in I met him and said, ‘Welcome to Saffron Desi’ — I was amazed, shocked. I shook hands with him and asked him what he would like to drink. He ordered a bottle of Strongbow cider. I then told the kitchen that Prince William was here. The customers were going crazy.”
The Prince apparently ordered the £8 ($16) house special, a mild chicken curry called “Royal Delight”. How could he resist?
He was said to have roared with laughter when one of the huge naan breads was brought to his table. Mr Nisar added, “He said, ‘Oh my God I can’t believe these naans are so big. I’ve never seen anything like it’.”
Gwen Turner was having a meal with her boyfriend Steve Brierley when the Prince arrived. “We couldn’t believe it when we realized it was him.”
Mr Nisar said that William had been very polite. “Myself, my chef and all the staff are proud to have served him.”
William is reported to have had just three small bottles of cider with his meal. Maybe his wild Mahiki days are over.
Great post, John, I love the fact that Prince William just dropped in to the Saffron Desi with 47 pals and the restaurant staff (and the naan) rose to the occasion!
These are the golden days for Prince William, when he can reach a level of ‘normalcy’ rarely experienced by a Royal Prince so near the throne. The military life enables him to have friendships with people in the mainstream of British life, do ordinary things that ordinary people do. Too soon the shadow of duty and the pressures of his Royal calling will make such carefree times impossible. When that time comes, Prince William will have his memories of these precious times to cushion the burdens of monarchy.
As for me, it is a Lenten Friday, when only meatless meals can be consumed, so I am salivating sadly over the idea that somewhere in the world someone is enjoying the Royal Delight of chicken curry!
By Gigi on February 8th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Yes, he certainly likes to get around, Gigi. He’ll be dining out on that naan bread for months.
As for no meat, I was a vegetarian for 10 years and didn’t miss it, except for that quintessential English breakfast, a bacon sandwich, which I now allow myself. Although if the Archbishop gets his way, that could be banned soon.
By John on February 8th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I have given up bacon for Lent, John. :/ This will be a huge sacrifice because I adore making bacon for Sunday brunch after Mass, but there it is. My Father used to say “The difficult we do at once; the impossible takes a little longer.”
By Gigi on February 8th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
It really great to hear William is having a great time. Did you guys hear that ITV just finished a documentary that is set to air right after William & Kate announce their engagement. The Doc is all about tthem and their love for each other. A true reason for William to go out and celebrate with his new friends.
By Claudius on February 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Thanks for the info, Claudius. Let’s hope the documentary isn’t doomed like the Woolworth plates.
By John on February 8th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
What in the world ever happened to those Woolworth plates, anyway?
By Gigi on February 8th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
They will definitely have to be redone, Gigi. The body language was all wrong, as was the date, and the pile of grass on Kate’s head didn’t do her much justice.
By John on February 8th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
LOL I admit that particular bit of millinery did make Kate appear as if she had communed too closely with nature.
There is certainly a trend in ladies’ hats that veers toward the whimsical and rides it right off the rails.
By Gigi on February 8th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I agree they did not chose the two best pictures of William and Kate to put on those plates. Surely they can do better next time.
I like to read those stories about him enjoying “normal life”. I would guess though that the 47 “friends” were rather fellow RAF soldiers. So I assume he’s stationed near York now.
By Isana on February 8th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Or maybe a whole bunch of pilots in training (and their instructors) all flew from Cranwell RAF to York, then had dinner before flying back, perhaps while ground crews were refueling, etc.
By Evelyn on February 8th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
It sounds like William had a great time with his fellow pilot trainees at the restaurant!
Claudius I read that story also about the ITV documentary. What I found intriguing was that they went to St. Andrews University to film the place where William and Kate first met, and they were told no cameras would be allowed in the grounds until an official engagement announcement had been made.
I found the wording of that statement to be very interesting indeed. They didn’t say “in the event of” or “if”, they said no cameras “until” an official engagement announcement had been made. John, what do you make of that?
By mapleleaf on February 8th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Mapleleaf,
You and I are on the same page. That’s why I was so glad to report this. The wording caught my eye.
By Claudius on February 8th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Well, that is very interesting! Of course it is only significant if the spokeperson at St. Andrew’s is one who weighs her or his words carefully. Still…it sounds very intriguing!
By Gigi on February 8th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
What a shame Mapleleaf that Harry may be in a war zone and you appauld Willie for eating curry and haveing a good time.
By Trudie on February 9th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Each prince is doing what has been asked of him, Trudie. Prince William wasn’t out partying at Mahiki. He wasn’t even out on a date with Kate. He was eating a meal with his fellow RAF colleagues. I certainly hope William will continue to eat while Prince Harry is away. Letting the public see him at a common restaurant should be good for morale. I’ve read no complaints in the press about it.
By Evelyn on February 9th, 2008 at 1:59 am
people are going crazy over the pictures of William dancing at a wedding because he was dancing with a blonde girl. They are old pictures and the press is just now getting their hands on them. It shows that William is very good on the dance floor and I know Kate is also good on the dance floor. I think these two will bring dancing back to Buckingham Palace. Now the Ballroom at the Palace is fully covered but I fell William & Kate will change that.
By Claudius on February 9th, 2008 at 2:53 am
I really dislike how the headline on that dailymail article is so misleading. It bothers me. Seems like they are just trying to stir up trouble??
By dally on February 9th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Mapleleaf, I think most people have factored in an engagement now, so it’s easy to slip into “when” not “if” mode. St Andrew’s has a great coup on its hands in being the venue where they met and will probably be playing it for all it’s worth. They seem to be holding their fire until an announcement for maximum effect. I doubt they have any inside information that’s not available to us, though.
By John on February 9th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Yeah the headline is very misleading and some comments show it. If you don’t read the article you won’t know that the pics are two years old. But I agree William looks like a good dancer there. He looked a little akward during the concert for Diana but I guess he’s better dancing with a woman than alone.
Sometimes I really hate the tabs they can’t seem to leave William and Kate alone. No matter how much they try to stay below the radar and keep a low profile, the press either speculates about an “imminent engagement” or tries to stirr things up by making a story out of old pics.
By Isana on February 9th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Yes, Isana, and you can also see that the woman is a bit older than William and has her young daughter with her — not exactly the casual pickup the papers were implying at the time.
By John on February 9th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I don’t think the little girl is her daughter. The article stated she was 25 in 2005 so hardly old enough to have a girl that looks about 8 or 10 to me. But could have been her little sister. Still the DM tried to make this rather innocent encounter into something sleezy. I hope Will and Kate have a good laugh about this if they meet this weekend.
By Isana on February 9th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Gigi, Sundays during Lent are not included as part of the forty days of fast and abstinence. Consequently, you can enjoy bacon during Sunday brunch without breaking your fast. As a child, my siblings and I always give up candy for Lent, but when Sunday rolled around, we ate enough candy to get us through the rest of the week. I know it’s missing the point, but we were kids. I did spend one Lenten season attending Mass every morning before going to school, so that made up for gorging myself with candy on Sunday.
By Arthur on February 9th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I woner why all of a sudden the two ladies are being brought to light. I just read about young lady Prince William dated before Kate. She was trying to remain out of the spotlight. My over active imagination tells me that someone is trying to get a reaction from either Prince William, Kate, or both. However what that is I don’t know.
By kat on February 9th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I suspect some “news” sources are reacting to the almost complete lack of royal news to report, kat. If you don’ have real news, then just concoct something.
I was just reading about Mike Tindall’s serious rugby injuries– broken rib, punctured lung and liver. The Daily Mail says it was one of the worst rugby injuries ever for a British player. Mike said he’s lucky he lived. I’m glad he did!
By Evelyn on February 10th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Evelyn, thanks for your comment. It made a lot of sense. I guess that they are not only trying to keep everything very low key but they are succeeding. I too am glad that Mike Tindall will be alright.
By kat on February 10th, 2008 at 1:23 am
The Sunday Mirror has a story about William and Kate on the rocks because they allegedly didn’t see each other since New Years and William missed her birthday because of his RAF training. I agree kat that they are trying to “force” William and Kate to react, i.e. allow themselves to be pictured.
By Isana on February 10th, 2008 at 9:26 am
And Kate is supposedly going to spend March in New York with Mario Testino. I hope they are both mature enough to get through the long separations.
We always knew 2008 was going to be a trying year for them and for all those waiting for news of an engagement. That’s why Royal Anecdotes suggested an early engagement announcement to head off speculation through lack of news.
By John on February 10th, 2008 at 11:28 am
It is interesting that the People UK article followed so closely to the Mirror article. The People article seems to say that Prince William is trying to make up his mind about marrying Kate.
I guess they are all on fishing expeditions.
By kat on February 10th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
The red-tops are really digging for stories now, and even recycling old ones. But nobody knows if Kate meets William at Clarence House at weekends.
By John on February 10th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The Mirror says that William hasn’t been back to London since he started his secondment with the RAF. It does seem like some weekends he has appeared in establishments elsewhere in the country with RAF colleagues, with stories reported, if not photos.
Just because they aren’t together constantly, that doesn’t mean their relationship is weakening. I think both they are mature enough to deal with physical separation. They may be staying in touch by calling and texting frequently.
By Evelyn on February 10th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I’m wondering if these news stories are coming out now because Valentine’s Day is this week. They’ll probably make a big deal about William & Kate not having a date for that occasion, not announcing their engagement that day, etc.
By Evelyn on February 10th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Also, Evelyn, as a trainee pilot William will be under strict orders to keep away from “drink the menu” joints. It may be he has been gently persuaded to avoid London on weekends in case he falls into the net of a certain Pelly fellow. Kate probably endorses that.
By John on February 10th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Quite right, John. We also don’t know if Kate has perhaps been traveling up to see him privately. There’s so much we don’t know.
By Evelyn on February 10th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I think that there is something going on with Kate and Prince William. As it is posted, I agree that they are both quite busy. Since Christmas, we have seen Kate out two time with pics. She according to a news source has gone out several times with girlfriends to se Mamma Mia. She has not to my knowledge been clubbing since Christmas. If her relationship had ended we surely should have seen her out and about. I do hope that this is only a way to draw out them out. As long as they are not in the limelight all sorts of rumors will surface.
By kat on February 10th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
She also went out with a group of friends to see Afrika! Afrika!. That was set up by William a few days after her birthday. That was only a few weeks ago.
The pair were also spotted at a famous restaurant recently, sitting in a private booth, although they didn’t draw the curtains.
How many other restaurants have they visited without it being reported?
By John on February 11th, 2008 at 10:14 am
John, the last time I heard of William & Kate spotted together in a restaurant was before Christmas, I think. Was the occasion you report in January or February?
By Evelyn on February 11th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
In reference to the comments made by Isana and John re Prince William dancing with mysterious Blonde, I personally feel that the caption given by the Daily Mail was misleading ‘… with young girl’.
I personally feel that the ‘young girl’ in question was another adult guest at the wedding. I justify my statements by saying she only looks young because she is shorter than both William and the mysterious blonde - remember William is 6ft 3 or a 1.91m meaning the ‘young’ person in question could be of average height or just a little shorter than the norm. But i truly feel that she is not a child - he’s excessively tall.
I mean haven’t you noticed that in all photographs etc how tall he really is???
By purple on February 13th, 2008 at 12:26 pm