Prince William Had a 'Great Night' at LGBTQ Restaurant in Poland — See How Staff Marked the Royal Visit

Janine Henni
·3 min read

The Prince of Wales reportedly ordered a pulled pork sandwich with fries

Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images
Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images

Surprise! Prince William was a casual customer at an LGBTQ-friendly restaurant during his visit to Poland.

The Prince of Wales, 40, was spotted at Butero Bistro in Warsaw on Wednesday evening. The restaurant touts itself as "your queerspace with comfort food," and the Daily Mail reports the British royal ordered "kanapka w chalce" — a $9 sandwich filled with pulled pork served with fries and garlic mayo.

PEOPLE understands the royal's team made the dinner reservation near where they were working, and Prince William asked to join, resulting in a "great night" during his two-day tour of Poland.

In a playful clip shared on Instagram, a Butero Bistro team member was seen taping a homemade "Prince William" sign to a wooden chair at a long table.

"We are surprised too, but where else would he feel nice and safe than in our queer and loving space? 🌈," the caption read. "We did what we do best — we fed and the rest is history."

Related:Prince William Makes Surprise Poland Trip to 'Look into the Eyes' of Those Helping Ukraine and 'Say Thank You'

Same-sex marriages and civil unions are not recognized in Poland, which ILGA-Europe reports is the worst country in the European Union for the LGBTQ community. Prince William has previously supported the queer community by denouncing homophobic bullying on the cover of Attitude magazine and visiting organizations dedicated to alleviating LGBTQ youth homelessness.

The restaurant stop came on the first day of Prince William's surprise trip to Poland. The royal traveled to the country to thank the people for their "humanity and hospitality" during the war in neighboring Ukraine.

Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Prince William, the Prince of Wales
Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Prince William, the Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales spent Wednesday afternoon with troops from Britain and Poland helping to train Ukrainian forces. He then headed to Warsaw to meet some of the 300 Ukrainian women and children, who — as recently-arrived refugees — are being housed in a converted office block.

Related:Prince William Spends Time With Ukrainian Refugees in Poland After Somber Tribute to War Dead

Aides pointed out that Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, have followed the Ukrainian crisis since its start and have had an ongoing dialogue with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska.

"But he wanted to look into the eyes of the Polish people and say thank you for everything they have done. That is the main message he was putting across to the Polish and British military," his spokesman tells PEOPLE.

Pawel Supernak/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Prince William lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, Poland
Pawel Supernak/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Prince William lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, Poland

On Thursday, the Prince of Wales paid his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and met with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace. Following the meeting, a spokesperson for Prince William told reporters that "the conversation was warm and friendly and predominately focused on the ongoing conflict with the war in Ukraine, particularly its impact on Polish society."

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Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Prince William, the Prince of Wales
Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Prince William, the Prince of Wales

The royal then moved to a vibrant food hall in downtown Warsaw, where he met a group of well-wishers, including three friends — two of whom had traveled by train for three hours to see him. Marta Zegarek, 26, held up a sign that said, "Thank you for the visit William."

"We told him we were from the south of Poland and that we really appreciate him coming here," Zegarek tells PEOPLE. "We are grateful that he sees us and Ukraine and that we are all in this together."

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