Butero Bistro in Warsaw advertises itself as ‘your queerspace with comfort food’ while its logo is made up of the colors of the rainbow.
On Wednesday night, the Prince of Wales surprised Polish diners by inadvertently visiting an LGBT-friendly restaurant in Warsaw’s center.
During a surprise visit to the country, the heir to the throne was photographed eating a £7.50 pulled pork sandwich and fries.
Butero Bistro in Warsaw bills itself as “your queerspace with comfort food,” and its logo is made up of rainbow colors.
Kensington Palace staff booked the table for themselves and were unaware that it was an LGBT-friendly restaurant, but were pleased with their choice.
According to The Telegraph, it was not intended as a political statement.
William asked to join the dinner party
According to the Mail Online, William, 40, had requested to join the palace staff for dinner at a nearby restaurant.
“The Kensington Palace team booked a local restaurant near where they were working, and the Prince decided to join them,” according to the source.
“He asked them what they were doing and then invited them to join him. By all accounts, it was a fantastic night.”
A local took a photo of William at the restaurant and posted it on Instagram with the caption, “Warsaw can surprise.” I had dinner with the Prince today.”
In reference to the government’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights, the local added that it was “valuable that he supported the community so abused by the current authorities in Poland.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s top diplomat used William’s visit to Poland to express Russia’s displeasure with Britain’s support for Ukraine in the war.
The Russian foreign ministry’s Maria Zakharova used the trip to express concerns about Britain’s plans to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium shells for Challenger 2 tanks.
“I wonder if William Charles-ovich has brought depleted uranium ammunition for his troops,” she speculated, coining a patronymic for the Prince by using his father’s surname.
Vladimir Putin expressed concern about the potential supplies earlier this week, saying that using them would be equivalent to using a “dirty” nuclear bomb.
Ms. Zakharova’s remarks came on the second day of William’s surprise trip to Poland to “personally thank” British and Polish soldiers stationed 50 miles from the Ukrainian-Polish border for “defending our shared freedoms.”
She cited a news story on Tatler’s website, claiming that the phrase “British and Polish troops involved in the war in Ukraine” “dispels all doubts whether Britain and Poland are involved or not.”
Britain's Prince William, the heir-to-the British throne, sat down with Ukrainians and listened to their stories of how they fled the conflict with Russia after a game of ping pong with refugee children in Warsaw pic.twitter.com/qtDUHR1FHl
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 23, 2023
More radical than Kremlin officials
Ms. Zakharova, Russia’s foreign policy spokesperson since 2015, is known for her pithy remarks and language that is frequently more radical than that of senior Kremlin officials.
Her remarks, made in a brief post on the Telegram messaging app, came just two days after Putin slammed the British government for sending depleted uranium shells to Ukraine, calling them “weapons with a nuclear component.”
This type of weapon is not covered by any nuclear arms treaty, and its use is not prohibited.
The shells, however, have been criticized for their potential negative impact on human health, as their use has been linked to leukemia and other diseases.
On Thursday morning, the Prince met with Polish President Andrzej Duda and thanked the Polish people for their support and generosity to neighboring Ukraine.
They also talked about how important it is to keep supporting Ukraine and its people.
According to a royal spokesman, the discussion was “warm and friendly” and “predominantly focused on the ongoing conflict with the war in Ukraine, particularly the impact on Polish society.”
They went on to say that the Prince expressed his excitement to see the president and first lady at the Coronation and thanked him for attending the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022.
President Duda is the palace’s first confirmed head of state to attend the King’s Coronation in May
Earlier in the day, the Prince laid a wreath at Warsaw’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, leaving a personal note honoring those “who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
He went to Pilsudski Square in the city to see the monument dedicated to Polish soldiers who died in battle.
On the wreath, he left a handwritten note that reads, “In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
During a state visit to Poland in 1996, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh also laid a wreath at the Tomb.
