Pub slammed for turning off Prince Charles jubilee speech (From News Shopper)

Greyhound pub slammed for turning off Prince Charles Diamond Jubilee speech

12:07pm Thursday 7th June 2012 in Latest News By David Mills

A PUB has been branded "unpatriotic" for pulling the plug on Prince Charles as he was about to give his speech at the Diamond Jubilee concert.

Drinkers at the Greyhound in Bromley High Street turned on the volume of the screen as the future king was about to speak.

But while millions watched and listened worldwide, staff switched the television off due to pub rules.

Punter Simon Nash said bar staff ruined his celebrations on Monday night and were "a disgrace" to the country.

He claimed "a jobsworth bar maid" even threatened to throw him and his friends out.

To make matters worse, he said staff were forced to turn the television off at the mains as they could not work out how to turn down the volume.

Mr Nash, 27, from Elmstead Woods, said: "We just wanted to hear the future king speak, and said we would turn it down in five minutes.

"The barmaid claimed that it was against the rules to have the volume on.

"This was a pub covered in Union Flags, open for the jubilee, banning its patrons from hearing their future king speak – what has this country come to?

"I simply wanted to listen to the television which was turned on anyway.

"For a barmaid to ban patrons from listening to a royal speech on a jubilee weekend due to some made up rule is a disgrace to the country, and the Wetherspoon chain.

"The member of staff was behaving like a spoiled school teacher. There was no reason not to let us listen to Prince Charles’s speech, everyone was watching, yet the Wetherspoon team spoiled the celebration for us.

"It was most unpatriotic."

A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon said: "We understand the disappointment of the customers and appreciate that they wanted to hear the speech by Prince Charles.

"However, it is up to individual managers at the pubs, to turn on the sound at various times if appropriate and, on this occasion, it was decided not to.

"Ultimately, we let the pub managers make their own decisions."