How the Dame Owners Decorated Their New Restaurant, Lord’s Tavern
Lord’s Tavern opened for business on a recent Friday night and is quickly getting the press that its owners hoped for. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were honored by Vogue magazine with a cover spot in the new October issue and it is the first event of the duke’s year in the U.K. to make its debut on the cover. The Vogue article also highlighted Lord’s Tavern’s efforts to provide its customers with “a taste of something new” that reflected both its new and historic identity. The articles about the duke and duchess featured their own signature drink, which is described as containing “a blend of vodka, lemon, and orange.” The signature drink is called the Duke and Duchess. “You have to be very bold to open a place like Dorset House,” said Mike Hulme, managing director of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s flagship restaurant, the Duke & Duchess. “You have to try new things, new ways to do things. And Lord’s Tavern was brave and bold, so we’re thrilled to be on the cover. What we’ve done, what we’ve had published is pretty brilliant.” According to Hulme, the first Lord’s Tavern restaurant was opened by the Duke and Duchess’s grandfather, Edward VIII, in 1910. The restaurant opened in 1936, during World War II, and closed in 2006. The new restaurant is a replica of Edward VIII’s original establishment. “The duke and duchess had never really done that sort of thing before,” explained Hulme. “They were always a bit more in the public eye, but not so much that people knew about it or wanted to go to the Duke’s Restaurant.” Hulme added that the duke and duchess have always been quite private. “They have not had a public event until now. They don’t like to share the limelight with anyone. This is their party. The duke and duchess have shared the party with us.” The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were asked to help with the restaurant’s