Royal tour delay leaves waiting fans disappointed

THE rushed royal couple has left fans disappointed after many waited more than an hour and a half for their appearance, only to be ignored.

THE royals’ delayed schedule has forced them to rush between venues, leaving fans disappointed after many waited more than an hour and a half for their appearance.

Hundreds of people lined the street outside Fitzroy restaurant Charcoal Lane where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were being shown around.

But after the visit, rather than greeting waiting fans who had been lined up for hours to catch a glimpse or shake a hand of one of the royals, Prince Harry and Meghan were quickly scurried away to waiting cars in order to meet waiting schoolchildren at Albert Park.

The rush left many royal followers frustrated at the snub.

“Rubbish,” one woman said. “I thought they would stop and talk to some people.”

Another said she waited two hours and only saw them from across the road for half a second.

“It was disappointing,” she told news.com.au.

One woman was so desperate for a glimpse at the Duke and Duchess that she stepped out onto the roof of an adjacent building.

Watchers on adviser her, jokingly, “don’t jump”.

The couple greeted the painter of a mural they saw near the Mission Australia social enterprise restaurant Charcoal Lane, but not the hundreds of disappointed fans. Picture: Phil Noble

The couple were due to arrive at the restaurant just before 1pm and leave for their next engagement before 2pm.

But their rushed schedule meant the couple were whisked away at about 2.40pm.

Before the abrupt departure, the Duke and Duchess learnt about Australian native bush food in the kitchen of the social enterprise cafe.

They were treated to an entree of mushroom and quinoa nest and chargrilled kangaroo, and a main course of wild boar, saffron risotto and barramundi.

“You can taste anything you like,” head chef Greg Hampton told them.

“Just ask me first.”

Prior to welcome the couple to his kitchen, Mr Hampton said he would be selective with what he served them, showing concern for the pregnant Duchess’s health.

“I would hesitate to give Meghan the Tasmanian pepper,” he said.

“The first time I tried it, I thought I was having an allergic reaction.”

Prince Harry and Meghan visited the Mission Australia social enterprise restaurant Charcoal Lane, in Fitzroy. Picture: Phil Noble

The menu included indigenous ingredients that the royals probably wouldn’t be familiar with. Picture: Phil Noble

Also on the menu, crispy fried saltbush, bunya nuts, sea blight, rosella flowers, cinnamon myrtle, lemon tea tree leaves and river mint, to name a few ingredients the royals wouldn’t likely be familiar with.

The chef gave one the royal couple a crushed leaf — one of his favourites ingredients — to smell.

“It’s got a few different names, it’s called fruit salad herb, strawberry gum, forest berry herb ... people get musk out of it, people get mango out of it, people get berries out of it, eucalyptus,” he said.

The restaurant specialises in seasonally driven native flavours while providing a comprehensive, accredited training program for young people who have experienced challenges on their journey to employment.

Charcoal Lane supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people through pathways in hospitality, while connecting to culture through food.