Betel Receives Royal Honour

Tuesday 16th of January 2018 was a true red letter day for Betel and staff of the rising cafe, as we were honoured with a visit from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – Prince William and Kate. The café looked absolutely stunning, and the artful, handmade baked goods on display looked to be the finest money could buy.

As the prince entered and cast an appreciative eye over mouth-watering array of cakes and other goodies on display, the Betel guys and girls, many of whom were living in the chaos of homelessness and substance abuse not so long ago, looked on speechless. While thousands of other visitors to Coventry that day hoped for a handshake at best from the Duke or Duchess, their Royal Highnesses conversed with us, hearing our men and women’s stories for 25 minutes.

Café manager Phil Colbourne was one of those who spent some time talking to the prince. “It was amazing to meet him – we chatted about football and he spoke about Cyrille Regis and how much of an icon he was”.