Prince William 'absolutely loves pubs'
Prince William declared his love of pubs and belief they are the "heart of the community" on a visit to Scotland.
Prince William "absolutely loves pubs".
The Prince of Wales is keen to help save local ale houses after data showed an estimated 15,000 pubs have closed in the UK since 2000 because he sees them as the heart of the community.
During a trip to Scotland, William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, spent time at The Gothenberg pub in former mining village Fallin, where the prince ordered half a pint of cider.
According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, William told a table of local men, including publican Rob Donaldson: “I want to help pubs. This is the best place to come and get to know each other.
"[Pubs are] the heart of the community.
"I grew up in pubs. I absolutely love pubs."
William was told how the pub is set up to put profits back into the local area, including subsidising rental flats for young people, and is a centre for various social activities in the village.
He added: “It’s crucial. It’s the human-to-human contact, isn’t it, rather than just being on the phone or watching TV.”
The 43-year-old royal was also told about the banter and "slagging off" between pals who visit the pub.
He laughed: “A bit of slagging off – we all need that occasionally. It brings us back down to earth.”
Catherine sat at a separate table with a group of teachers, and was delighted to receive a crochet bunny for her 10-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte from Adele Hodgson.
She said: "[Charlotte will] absolutely love that. She’s got lots of teddies on her bed”.
As the couple prepared to leave, Catherine - who also has sons Prince George, 12, and seven-year-old Prince Louis with William - looked at her husband's unfinished drink and said: “You need to finish that.”
But William laughed and said he wanted to stay on his "best behaviour".
Earlier in the day, the couple - who are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland - visited the National Curling Academy in Stirling to meet Team GB and Paralympic GB teams ahead of the upcoming Winter Olympics.
William and Catherine got to try the sport themselves, and while the princess' first attempt didn't go well, she beat her husband on the second try and celebrated with a fist pump in the air.
From there, the pair helped the Radical Weavers charity in their efforts to make a 3km long tartan scarf, which will break a world record when complete.
Catherine worked on a loom and said: “It’s such a fantastic way to bring that sense of self and [for people to] think about parts of their lives and parts of themselves that they hadn’t explored before in a creative way and abstract way, but in a less judgmental way.”
