Your naan-jesty! Prince William surprises Indian restaurant by taking reservation for unsuspecting couple
20 April 2023, 18:50
Prince William delighted an Indian restaurant by volunteering to take a customer's booking during a visit to Birmingham.
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The Prince of Wales was looking at dishes at Indian Streatery when the businesses's phone rang.
He took the call, to the surprise and joy of staff, and began to negotiate a time as a customer asked for a table for two.
He managed to book them in for 2.15pm, about 45 minutes from when he took the call, after having to tell Vinay Aggarwal and his wife Ankita Gulati there were no places earlier.
The couple was keen to make their train back to London at 3pm.
After taking down their name and directing them to the establishment, he told the staff: "He knows where you are now, I probably sent him somewhere else in Birmingham so I apologise!"
Mr Aggarwal, who arrived on time with his wife, said he had no idea he was booked in by the heir to the throne.
"It's pretty amazing and a surprise. I didn't know at that moment, but it's a very nice surprise," he said.
"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."
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The restaurant's 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."
William and Kate are touring the country ahead of King Charles's coronation on May 6.
They said they "love curries", as do their children, and "secretly try lots of curry houses". They sampled dishes during their strip to the restaurant.
Kate said she loves spice while the heir to the throne declared: "I'm a masala man."
The Prince and Princess met staff, made rotis and took part in a cooking competition – Kate won while William admitted he would not eat the curry he created.
However, his requests for tips on cooking rice were hampered when Mrs Sharma told her all-female kitchen not to reveal the business's secrets.
The couple were also shown cocktails named after every relative at the restaurant, but William – who said he enjoys a Kamikaze cocktail – could not think what blend he would name after Kate.
