The royal seal of approval

How do you make a sow's purse from a Pig's Ear? Well, if you're a gilt-edged gastropub just off the King's Road, the answer is simple: play host to the second-in-line to the throne and his beautiful consort.

The Pig's Ear hasn't had any problems attracting customers since it opened in June of last year, but it wasn't until it got the royal seal of approval a couple of weeks ago that it became one of the hottest eating houses in London.

Before marrying Lady Di, Prince Charles held his stag night at Julie's in Holland Park. If Prince William decides to tie the knot with Kate Middleton, maybe he'll bestow a similar honour on The Pig's Ear.

'William and Kate came in with two bodyguards and waited in the downstairs bar until they were joined by two friends,' says Laurence Botha, the 24-year-old South African manager.

'Then all six of them went upstairs to the restaurant and had dinner together. My sister was in here having a drink at the time and she was quite surprised to see that William's jumper had a large hole in it just below the armpit. She was like, "Can't he afford a new one?"'

Clearly, Miss Botha isn't familiar with the sartorial affectations of Britain's young Royals. Prince Charles may favour Savile Row suits and hand-stitched shoes, but William and Harry prefer ripped jeans and brogues. In this respect, they're indistinguishable from the majority of the expublic schoolboys propping up The Pig's Ear's bar.

'There are basically two types of Chelsea customer,' says Ollie Daniaud, one of the owners of this upmarket tuck shop. 'The young, nifty, well-dressed, groovy type who knows a bit about wine, and the ghastly Hooray Henry, who just drinks lager and cheap wine, and watches rugby.'

I'd quibble with the word 'ghastly', but apart from that I think William and Harry fall squarely into the latter category.

On the night I went there last week, a silverhaired plutocrat had commandeered the upstairs restaurant to celebrate his 60th birthday, so my wife and I had no choice but to eat in the bar. This was no great hardship, though, given how beautifully this Victorian pub has been refurbished since the days when it was known as the Front Page.

Ox-blood ceilings and soft lighting combine to create a cosy, fireside atmosphere - just the kind of home-away-from-home you long for during these long winter months.