Prince William signs up at the Duke of Cambridge (From St Helens Star)
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Prince William signs up at the Duke of Cambridge
8:00am Friday 27th January 2012 in News By Daniel Webster
Chris and John salute their pub’s royal ‘patron’
ONE of the town’s historic pubs is offering an invitation to Prince William after being granted special permission by Buckingham Palace to use his image for its new sign.
The Duke of Cambridge on Duke Street, which had its previous sign up since around 1985, has updated it to the current Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, and decorated the inside of the pub, giving it a much-needed make-over.
The new sign, which was put up in October, shows an image of William in his military uniform.
Landlord Chris Wilson had to seek royal permission to use William’s image through Grosvenor House in London, but believes the effort was worth it.
He is so pleased with the results that he would welcome the Duke of Cambridge to the pub.
Chris, 58, from Sutton told the Star: “When I learned that William was being appointed as the Duke of Cambridge, I thought it would be a good idea to change the pub’s sign outside because the previous one was very old.
“That was one of the conditions when we signed the lease for the pub, to get a new sign outside and to decorate the pub inside.
“I think Prince William would be made up if he ever comes in here. We would give him a drink for nothing, and Kate too of course, she could have a free cocktail on a Friday night.”
His son John, 33, who also runs the pub, said: “They’re laid-back kind of people, and I think William would certainly have a pint of Guinness with us.”
This year marks the Queen’s diamond jubilee, 60 years on from the start of her reign. With many parties expected to take place over the summer, patriotic Chris and John insist they will do something to celebrate the milestone.
John said: “Whenever a situation like that arises, we always do whatever we can to get involved. We’ll be having streamers up outside, and I’m sure we’ll have a little party inside the pub too.
“I think with the new sign up outside, we’ll definitely go along with the celebrations. After all, there’s not that many pubs in town dedicated to royalty.”
