Prince William's pub visit leaves patrons fuming over preferential treatment

Prince William visited Edinburgh on May 22 where he met with key workers at local pub Cold Town House to thank them personally for their sacrifices amid the pandemic. But his visit dismayed and infuriated those who have already booked the venue for the Scottish Cup final.

Punters were told that their bookings were cancelled at the last minute because the pub was to undergo "essential maintenance." But media coverage of the royal's visit to the bar belied their reasoning. The Duke of Cambridge was seen soaking up the atmosphere as he laughed and chatted with staff and watched the match between Hibernian and St. Johnstone.

He was reportedly there for an invite-only gathering. The pub decided to cancel bookings in the interest of "national security." The bar also told customers the decision was made because of "circumstances outside of their control."

Pub-goers claimed they were lied to and vowed to never set foot in the bar again. Others said they were compensated for the cancellation with free cocktails and pizza on their next visit. The bar was also accused of deleting and hiding complaints aired on social media.

"We were lied to, I was just so disappointed," one dejected customer said as quoted by Edinburgh Live.

"They could have used another excuse rather than 'essential maintenance,' they didn't even have to say the Prince was coming," one more complained and another said, "It's just pretty shocking. I won't be booking again."

"My friend booked in advanced and her booking was cancelled at the last minute claiming 'urgent maintenance' was required. She's a paramedic and was furious to later find out the real reason," one Twitter user wrote and another added, "'National security' they now claim, whilst the gathering was held on an open rooftop facility. Aye right....."

Cold Town House business development director Louise MacLean has since apologised to the customers. She reasoned that hosting Prince William during his tour of Scotland was an "extremely rare and proud opportunity" to show off the best of Scottish hospitality during one of the most challenging times for the industry." She noted that his visit presented the chance to thank essential workers for their sacrifices amid the pandemic.

"We're really sorry to anyone who feels inconvenienced by the temporary closure of Cold Town House on Saturday 22nd May. We never want to let our customers down and will always do whatever we can to avoid this ever happening," she wrote in a statement adding, "The Scottish emergency services deserve our gratitude for all their endeavours during the coronavirus pandemic."

MacLean shared that because of Prince William's visit to Cold Town House, the pub was able to donate over £1,000 ($AUD 1,835) to three of his charities. These include The Ambulance Staff Charity, Police Care UK, and The Fire Fighters Charity.