Prince William hit his local pub for a cheeky pint today, hours before lockdown restrictions are eased in England on so-called ‘Super Saturday’.

The future king, 38, who is a self-confessed ‘cider man’, admitted a few weeks ago he was looking forward to a drink when pubs reopen after more than three months of lockdown.

He beat the crowds on Friday, ordering a £4.15 pint of Aspall Suffolk Draught Cyder and a plate of chips at the Rose and Crown in Snettisham, Norfolk, which is only a few miles from his family home.

Taking a seat in the pub garden, the Duke of Cambridge questioned pub staff on whether they were concerned July 4 could ‘get a bit out of hand’.

Speaking to landlords Anthony and Jeannette Goodrich, he said: ‘It could end up with everyone at the pub, because people just want a change of scene, being at home for so long.

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‘Are you worried about people getting a bit out of hand this weekend? I guess it’s more of a problem with the larger pub chains.’

Mr Goodrich, 65, who has owned the pub with his partner for 25 years, confessed they were ‘a bit concerned but we are ready for it’.

He added that it was part of the business to be ready for rowdy behaviour, saying: ‘The only real worry is if we have 100 people in the garden and it rains. But we’ll have to deal with that.’

Dad-of-three William replied: ‘I am sure people will want to get out and explore locally. I don’t think they’ll want to go far afield.’

Anthony and Jeannette were forced to furlough more than 25 full-time employees, who were helped by another 10 or 15 temporary weekend workers, when the pandemic hit.

They began selling takeaway beer a few weeks ago, but will offer socially distanced drinking in three bars and a pub garden marquee on Saturday.

Some parts of the Rose and Crown will remain closed on health and safety advice, including a popular children’s play area set up like a galleon where social distancing would be impossible.

William, who has visited the pub before with his family, joked that his three children would see this closure as a ‘challenge’.

He told staff that customers would have to learn to get used to the new normal in pubs, saying: ‘We all have to take responsibility for our own two-metre bubble.’

It comes as Boris Johnson says ‘we’re not out of the woods yet’ and urges the public to behave responsibly on Saturday.

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