Prince Charles appears cheerful in pub amid Harry’s criticism of royal family

Prince Charles joked that he’d ‘always thought it would be rather fun’ to visit every pub that shares his title

Prince Charles pictured in the Prince of Wales pub in Clapham (AP)

The Prince of Wales made a cheerful appearance this week as he visited the Prince of Wales pub in Clapham, London, to celebrate the reopening of the hospitality sector in England.

On Monday 17 May, pubs were finally able to welcome customers indoors for the first time in months as lockdown restrictions eased.

Prince Charles made the visit with the Duchess of Cornwall and was seen laughing as he tried to drink a pint of beer through his face mask.

He told the landlord, Dermot Connell, that he’d “always thought it would be rather fun” to go around the UK and pay a visit to every Prince of Wales pub, adding: “hopefully I’d get a free drink in each one.”

There are thought to be 158 pubs named after the Prince of Wales in the UK.

Speaking about Prince Charles’s visit, Connell said it was exciting to have “the Prince of Wales coming to the Prince of Wales”.

He added: “It’s good that he’s getting out and about and showing people it’s now safe again to be in the pubs.”

The visit comes as Prince Charles faces criticism from his son, the Duke of Sussex, over his parenting in remarks made during Prince Harry’s Apple TV series, The Me You Can’t See.

In episode three, Harry spoke to EMDR therapist Sanja Oakley about what his father used to tell him when he was struggling emotionally with the death of his mother, the Princess of Wales.

“Because my father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, ‘Well it was like that for me so it’s gonna be like that for you’,” he said.

Prince Harry continued: “That doesn’t make sense. Just because you suffered, that doesn’t mean that your kids have to suffer.

“In fact quite the opposite, if you’ve suffered, do whatever you can to make sure that whatever experiences, negative experiences you had, that you can make it right for your kids.”