Prince William has voiced his support for Britain's pubs during a surprise visit to the Prince of Peckham in south London, where he pulled a pint of Jamaican lager Red Stripe and sampled jerk chicken. The Prince of Wales expressed his delight, stating "I could stay here forever," after engaging with regulars and newcomers at the popular establishment, which fosters community spirit through its "Chatty Patty" initiative encouraging residents to connect over tea.
William's Passion for Pubs
Speaking to a group participating in the programme, William emphasised his passion for local pubs: "I love pubs. I want to do as much as I can to support them because I love the community. We need to protect our pubs." The royal visit took place in Peckham, a vibrant, up-and-coming area known as a social hub for young people and often referred to as "little Lagos" due to its significant African heritage population. It is also the hometown of Hollywood actor John Boyega.
Behind the Bar
William got behind the bar and pulled a pint under the watchful eye of Clement Ogbonnaya, who established the pub in 2017 as an inclusive "public house for all." After his host confessed he had not done a shift behind the bar, William took his turn and, after finishing, commented "not bad." He compared his effort to Ogbonnaya's pint and said: "I think that's pretty good." The pair clasped hands and bumped shoulders as invited guests applauded. Ogbonnaya, who was made an MBE in the new year honours, later said: "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."
Community Impact
Ogbonnaya noted that William had "come down here and put something like Chatty Patty on the map, because we want Chatty Patty to exist not just in Peckham but all around London." He added: "Other public houses are, in my opinion, very underused spaces and they can be used more for communities. The key thing he 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."
Charity Visit
During his time in the area, William also toured the nearby Pecan charity, which provides support to people experiencing loneliness and a lack of job opportunities, alongside operating a vital food bank service. The Prince made a financial donation after burglars recently stole stock. At the charity, which has been serving people in the London Borough of Southwark for more than 35 years, William packed a box of groceries in the foodbank warehouse with the help of volunteer Evelyn Oakley. The prince is understood to have donated several thousand pounds after the warehouse burglary in 2024, enabling staff to replenish stock donated by local supermarkets.
When he first arrived, William spoke about the burglary, telling trustees he imagined "you guys coming in one morning and seeing that and how it made you feel" and that he "tried to work out how we could help." He also met staff, volunteers and clients during a laughter-filled chat around a table, and told the group: "This feels like a very happy family, that family point and that caring is so important – it's the magic ingredient that every good charity (has) when it's getting it right. It's a hard dynamic to get right and when you do get right, it is gold dust."
Before leaving, William had a private lunch of jerk chicken and plantain and told guests: "The jerk chicken, it blew my mind. I'm hoping Deliveroo can deliver this to Windsor."
