TV royalty meets… royalty! Alison Hammond chats to the Princess of Wales during her visit with Prince William to Birmingham (and fans are delighted!)
- Prince and Princess of Wales visited Birmingham today and chatted to Alison
- READ MORE: William the waiter! Prince of Wales takes a phone booking at an Indian restaurant as an elegant Kate in a pleated £229 Karen Millen dress enjoys a game of darts on visit to Birmingham
The Princess of Wales looked in great spirits as she chatted to Alison Hammond today during a trip to Birmingham.
Mother-of-three Kate, 41, visited Britain’s second city alongside the Prince of Wales, 40, to celebrate the area’s diverse culture and heritage and meet future leaders in the creative industries.
During the second engagement of the day at The Rectory restaurant on the edge of the city’s historic Jewellery Quarter, the royal couple hosted designers, artists and playwrights.
This Morning host Alison, 48, who hails from Birmingham, attended the event – even playing a game of darts against William, 40, as well as chatting to Kate – and she even promised to make them a classic Jamaican dinner at her house the next time they visited.
Fans were delighted to see the presenter at the outing, with one writing: ‘[Alison just gives good person vibes.’
The Princess of Wales with Alison Hammond during a visit to The Rectory, Birmingham, to meet future leaders and local business owners from Birmingham’s creative industries sector
A star-studded selfie! The This Morning presenter beamed as she managed to nab the royal couple for a photo
As she met the royal couple, Alison told them: ‘Next time, you need to come to my house so I can cook you a big Jamaican dinner.’
William and Kate then joined the guests for a game of interactive darts downstairs in the Rectory’s 180 Club.
Playing at separate boards, William played against Hammond and several other guests.
‘This is how I spent university,’ he laughed.
Asked whether Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were as enthusiastic as him about Aston Villa, he said: ‘George is generally very happy with Villa, Louis will hopefully choose his own team and Charlotte’s just getting into football, so we’ll see.’
The Jewellery Quarter is a hub for artistic businesses in the city which produces up to 40 per cent of all jewellery made in the UK.
Elsewhere, the Prince of Wales decided to get in on the action and took an unsuspecting customer’s booking on the telephone as he and the Princess of Wales visited an Indian restaurant in Birmingham.
In an amusing clip, William can be seen chatting to a diner who called up to book a table for two at the Indian Streatery, and after an entertaining back and fourth, the pair eventually agree on 2.15pm for the booking.
Kate looked effortlessly elegant as she stepped out in a £229 burgundy pleated midi dress from Karen Millen, while William appeared typically dapper in a stylish blazer and trouser combo.
Today’s outing marks the royal couple’s first official engagement since their Easter break, which they spent with their children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, five.
During their trip, William and Kate, who travelled to Birmingham by train, visited the Indian Streatery, an authentic, family-run independent Indian restaurant based in the city centre.
Royal fans took to Twitter to express their delight at Alison Hammond hanging out with the Waleses, saying she ‘just gives good person vibes’
This photograph of the royal couple (pictured right) at the Indian Streatery was posted to their Twitter account, with the caption: ‘Hope we told this customer to come to the right place…! @indianstreatery’ after William took a phone call from a diner at the restaurant
The Princess of Wales, pictured, also took part in a game of interactive darts in the 180 Club during a visit to The Rectory, in Birmingham, later in the day
The royal couple met the team of chefs at the Indian Streatery and tried their hand at making a handmade roti, a simple flatbread often served with cooked vegetables and curries
Kate’s flattering dress featured long sleeves, a pleated skirt and a waist tie, which she teamed with matching burgundy heels
In an amusing clip, William (pictured with Kate), 40, can be seen chatting to a customer who called up to book a table for two
While he and Kate were being served a range of Indian dishes at the restaurant on Bennetts Hill, William answered the unexpected phone call and took a booking for two.
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, 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’.
The Princess of Wales celebrates Birmingham’s rich Asian culture during a visit to the Indian Streatery, an authentic, family run independent Indian restaurant based in the city centre
Looking the part! The mother-of-three donned an apron while trying her hand at making a roti at the Indian restaurant
Prince William tried his hand at making a handmade roti, a simple flatbread often served with cooked vegetables and curries
Prince William cooks during a visit to The Indian Streatery, pictured left, with his wife Kate, pictured right
Beaming! Kate was all smiles as she chatted to the crowd waiting outside The Rectory in Birmingham
The Princess of Wales is all smiles as she waves at crowds ahead of visiting The Rectory in Birmingham
The mother-of-three added a touch of glitz to her look with her £100 Sézane’s Dina earrings in gold with blue gemstones hanging from the tassels, as well as a smattering of glamorous makeup on her features
Kate completed her outfit with her £825 Danielle Draper Gold Citrine Baby Treasure necklace
The Princess of Wales speaks with members of the public following a visit to The Rectory in Birmingham
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