London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 08, 2025

William takes restaurant booking and Kate tries darts during visit to city

William takes restaurant booking and Kate tries darts during visit to city

Princess of Wales was complimented on ‘very solid’ throwing action
The Prince of Wales took an unsuspecting customer’s restaurant booking on the phone as he and the Princess of Wales visited an Indian street food restaurant in Birmingham.

William answered the unexpected phone call and took a booking for two while he and Kate were being served a range of Indian dishes at Indian Streatery in Bennetts Hill on Thursday.

After negotiating over the time of the booking and giving the customer directions, William said: “He knows where you are now, I probably sent him somewhere else in Birmingham so I apologise.”

At 2.15pm, the customer Vinay Aggarwal and his wife Ankita Gulati, a husband and wife visiting from London, arrived at the restaurant ahead of their train home at 3pm.

Mr Aggarwal, a software engineer, said he had “no idea” that William took the call.

He said: “It’s pretty amazing and a surprise. I didn’t know at that moment, but it’s a very nice surprise.

“Obviously (I will be telling everyone), it’s not something that happens often.

“I didn’t recognise his voice at all, this is the first time I was listening to him on the phone, so I genuinely thought someone was taking the booking for me.”

Asked about the unexpected phone call, restaurant owner Meena Sharma said: “All of us around him were really surprised he actually picked up the phone and actually said ‘this is the Indian Streatery’, and there was a genuine person on the other end wanting to make a booking.

“But I think he probably could have a role as a front of house manager, we could probably employ him to take phone calls in future as he did a really good job.”

During the visit, which comes as part of a wider tour of the country ahead of the King’s coronation, Will and Kate said they “love curries” and “secretly try lots of curry houses around the country”.

In the first of two stops in Birmingham, Kate said food is “so nostalgic” and said she “loves spice”.

Meanwhile, William said he preferred milder food, adding: “I’m a masala man.”

When asked whether their children enjoy Indian food, Kate replied: “Absolutely, they love it.”

After being introduced to Mrs Sharma and her husband, Rakesh, William and Kate met front of house staff before heading into the kitchen to prepare rotis, a traditional flatbread.

They took part in a cooking competition, which was judged by the restaurant’s head chef and co-owner, Meena Sharma.

He also asked staff for their top tips on preparing rice as it was always “soggy” when he made it, with Mrs Sharma, who opened the restaurant in 2017 and runs an all-female kitchen, telling staff not to give away the eatery’s recipes.

The couple were served portions of traditional Indian street food including pani puri, black dahl, methi chicken and balpuri chaat.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also both tried their hand at darts during their visit to Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter – with one fellow competitor praising Kate for her “very solid” throwing action.

During a visit to The Rectory bar on Thursday, William and Kate chatted for more than half an hour with local business owners and workers from the city’s creative industries sector, before taking to separate oches in the cellar bar.

The royals also both chatted with Birmingham-born TV presenter Alison Hammond during the visit to the pub’s 180 Club, which has four interactive darts booths.

Hundreds of well-wishers greeted William and Kate when they arrived at the bar, overlooking the 18th century St Paul’s Square, and remained there for a lengthy walk-about as they left.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×