Prince William “binned off” a royal appointment because he was sinking pints with ex-footballer Peter Crouch and a BBC podcast team, it has been claimed.
During a recording session for That Peter Crouch Podcast at Kensington Palace, William was allegedly interrupted by a royal aide who told him he had a meeting to attend.
Radio 1 DJ Chris Stark said the visit was only meant to last 45 minutes but instead lasted three hours as they tucked into booze and a curry ordered to the royal household from Crouch’s local Indian takeaway.
Stark told how the Duke of Cambridge “relaxed” after a few beers and “dropped having to think too much about the party line”.
William was seen in the audio having a lager, while Crouch and Stark enjoy a Guinness.
Stark, 33, said: "What was special about that time at Kensington Palace, was that I think he genuinely enjoyed it.
"At one point, this lady stood up to say that he's got to go on to his next appointment - god knows what that was - and he just binned it off.
"I think he was having a good time and I'm sure he's got his own way of relaxing but in those two or three hours that we were in the Palace, I do think I saw a real side to him.
"I've met him at Radio 1 and it was a very different experience. [At Kensington Palace] I felt like you could have a pint with him and genuinely see what he was about, and I really like him.
"I genuinely saw a side to him where it was like 'you are a young lad as well'."
Stark - who hosts That Peter Crouch Podcast with Crouch, 39, and BBC sports journalist Tom Fordyce, 48 - had been at Kensington Palace to talk about men's mental health with Prince William for a special episode last July.
He added: "I was really aware that we were there to kind of talk about his campaign, but then we were all a couple of pints into this conversation and then I found we were having a genuine chat with him.
"You could see him drop having to think too much around the party line or whatever it was he was trying to focus on and just talk.
"It was so nice to see.
"I'm not encouraging everyone to go and get p***ed to have these types of conversations... but seriously, being a couple of pints in with Prince William, you realise there are similarities to what he was experiencing and what I've felt and what other people feel.
"I don't want to say pressure, but you could see that he's got a lot going on, and it was really interesting to see him relax and just have a laugh with us.
"I got this letter off him a couple of weeks after that and he was just thanking me and the boys, he sent us each a letter. What he said in it was so lovely."
A royal source said the Duke of Cambridge “didn’t have an official meeting or an official engagement” and was most likely being reminded of the time having run over.
Kensington Palace declined to comment.
