Prince William leaves generous pub tip
Prince William left a £75 tip after he enjoyed a surprise working lunch at a country pub.
Prince William left a £75 tip after he enjoyed lunch at a country pub.
The 43-year-old royal was visiting Mere in Wiltshire as part of his duties for the Duchy of Cornwall on Thursday (27.11.25) when he and a number of associates paid a surprise visit to the Walnut Tree Inn.
William and five others enjoyed a working lunch at one table while his three security guards sat at another, and the prince tucked into a burger and fries.
William Friend-James, the owner of the Walnut Tree Inn, told The Telegraph: “We took a booking about a week ago for nine people on two separate tables but didn’t know who it was.
“So everyone was a bit shocked when the Prince of Wales walked in.
“William had our homemade burger, fries and a lemonade. Others in his party had the homemade pie and someone had the sea bass."
The prince posed for a photo with Lisa James, who served him and his team, and pub regulars Gary Fermor and Nick Lowe.
The owner added: “Somebody asked for a photo and his security guards said no. Then he walked to the loos by himself and Lisa asked him if he minded having a photo and he said yes.
“It was a great pleasure to host him.”
The group spent 90 minutes at the pub, with William's security team paying the bill and leaving the generous tip.
William - who took on the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate across 20 counties, when his father King Charles ascended the throne in 2022 - tries to visit part of the Duchy once every four to six weeks, meeting stakeholders at its farms and offices.
Meanwhile, William recently joked he is a "taxi driver" for his three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis, and he and wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, try to be as hands-on as possible with their brood.
Appearing on Brazil's Domingão com Huck, he said: “Play dates, taxi driver, sports days, matches, playing in the garden when I can.
“School run most days. I mean Catherine and I share it, but she probably does the bulk of it.”
The royal couple have chosen not to give their kids mobile phones and plan to take a cautious approach as they get older because they don't want them exposed to danger online.
William said: “It is really hard. Our children don’t have phones.
“When George moves on to secondary school, maybe he’ll have one with limited access.
“We talk to him and explain why we don’t think it’s right. With full access, children end up seeing things on the internet that they shouldn’t. But with restricted access, I think it’s good for messaging.”
