New McMullen pub named after Princess Charlotte

04-Jan-2018 - Last updated on 11-Jul-2024 at 14:12 GMT

Royal toast: Pubgoers in Essex can raise a glass in first UK pub named in honour of Princess Charlotte

A recently opened new-build pub in Colchester, Essex, has become the first in the UK named after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s two-year-old daughter.

Opened by Hertford-based independent pub operator and brewer McMullen, the Princess Charlotte becomes the latest pub to join the Chicken & Grill Pubs group, which now boasts 12 sites.

The Princess Charlotte opened as the sister pub to the Prince George in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It was hoped that the pub would open just after its namesake’s birth in 2015, however, it was delayed due to planning issues relating to the retail park in which it is situated.

Instead the site opened just a matter of weeks before the princess attended her first day of nursery in Kensington today (4 January).

Heydon Mizon, joint managing director of McMullen said: “We are delighted to have opened in Colchester just prior to Christmas and have been pleased with the feedback and trading so far”

The pub’s general manager Martin Howard added: "Having experienced some delays, we opened at a far busier trading time than we had planned. The team coped admirably during a busy December and we are incredibly proud of them and thankful for their hard work.

“Our guests have been brilliant and we are enjoying seeing people revisit regularly.”

Very happy to announce the official opening on our 3rd ever new build pub in Colchester, the only pub named after William & Kate’s second child. Welcome to The Princess Charlotte! https://t.co/MKRjIf7fKO pic.twitter.com/JjTDJvHNzE
— McMullen's Brewery (@McMullens1827) November 29, 2017

Mizon said: “We aim to treat every guest like royalty at the Princess Charlotte and this would, of course, include the princess herself.

“The pub had been due to open shortly after Princess Charlotte was born. The baby wasn't at the mercy of a lengthy planning delay and so arrived on time. The pub, however, was significantly overdue.”

He added: “McMullen has been brewing beer, operating pubs and looking after pubs for more than 190 years.

“With this in mind, we try to select names that are interesting, relevant to the time or place that a pub is built and that will stand the test of time.”

Brewer and pub operator McMullen, founded in 1827, operates about 130 pubs across London and surrounding counties.