Royal princes lunch at Norfolk pub

The Dabbling Duck

An award-winning Norfolk pub has welcomed two VIP guests for lunch, it emerged yesterday.

Prince William and Prince Harry, plus an unidentified friend, dropped into the Dabbling Duck at Great Massingham, not far from the royal estate at Sandringham.

The royal brothers have over the years helped to maintain the family's long-held ties with Norfolk.

Prince Harry was a visitor to the Royal Norfolk Show last year, and his elder brother watched the film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, with friends at the 147-seat Hollywood cinema in Dereham in 2003.

Both princes also spend Christmas with their grandmother, the Queen, on her Norfolk estate. And their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was born at, and spent her childhood at, Park House on the estate.

However, it was something of a surprise when the princes rolled into Massingham on Sunday, October 5.

Dabbing Duck barman Daniel Endresz said: "The two princes and a male friend came for Sunday lunch. They were really polite and seemed quite down-to-earth.

"The moment the other customers realised what they were doing, everybody got on their mobile phones to text friends.

"They seemed to enjoy their meals. They both had non-alcoholic drinks.

"I think Prince William had lemonade and Harry had a Coke.

"They both had roast beef, I think."

Only days ago the team at the pub in the picturesque village celebrated being listed among the 13 top new entries in The Good Pub Guide 2010.

The pub, the only watering hole in a community that once boasted six, is run by Steve Chase and his partner Charlotte Bishop, who took over in June. It was also listed recently among the top 50 gastro pubs in the country in The Independent newspaper, and last year it won the Best Food Pub Award at the EDP Norfolk Food Awards.