The Prince and Princess of Wales spent the day in Birmingham to celebrate the city’s diverse culture and heritage and meet future leaders in the creative industries.

The royal couple started the day by celebrating Birmingham’s rich Asian culture with a visit to the Indian Streatery, an authentic, family run independent Indian restaurant based in the city centre.

The Indian Streatery is run by the Sharma family, led by Head Chef and mum Meena, who came up with the original vision to bring real Indian street food to the streets of Birmingham. The restaurant, which is home to an all-female chef team, started life as a street food stall in Digbeth and was a firm favourite at the city’s Digbeth Dining Club.

The restaurant, which opened in 2017, serves up a combination of authentic Indian street food, Sharma family favourites and British/Asian fusion dishes.

Their Royal Highnesses met the Sharma family and staff at the venue to hear about the history of the restaurant before meeting former students from University College Birmingham who have trained at the restaurant.

In the kitchen, The Prince and Princess met team of chefs and had a go at making a handmade roti, a simple flatbread often served with cooked vegetables and curries.

They then hosted future leaders and local business owners from Birmingham’s creative industries sector at an event in The Rectory, a dynamic venue overlooking the city’s historic Jewellery Quarter.

Birmingham is home to a thriving creative industries sector, which features a vast array of creative trades from the historic artisan jewellery sector to innovative, cutting-edge filmmaking and gaming. The Rectory sits on the edge of The Jewellery Quarter, a hub for artistic businesses in the city which produces up to 40% of all jewellery made in the UK. The Rectory was opened five years ago and is an established pub and restaurant with a rich history spanning back decades.

The Prince and Princess met representatives including designers, artists, and playwrights and will hear more about how the sector is growing and their experiences of opening and running their businesses in the city.

Their Royal Highnesses then joined the guests for a game of interactive darts downstairs in the 180 Club.

The day finished with Prince William and Princess Kate meeting members of the public.