UK prince and pals run up $2,600 Indian food bill

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - It's common knowledge that Indian curry is one of Britain's favourite foods, but now it has the royal seal of approval too.

Prince William, the second in line to the throne, dropped in for a celebratory dinner at a curry house in the northern English city of York this week -- along with 47 of his friends.

Mohammed Nisar, the owner of the Saffron Desi Indian restaurant, was gobsmacked when the royal walked in, but reckons he handled it all very calmly.

"I said welcome to the Saffron Desi, would you like a drink," Nisar told Reuters.

"He said he'd like a cider and I brought him a bottle of Strongbow. He was very polite. They were all very polite.

"Everyone in the restaurant and the kitchen was very excited."

The crowd ordered a vast selection from Nisar's menu, with William ordering a chicken dish called the Royal Delight.

By the end of the evening, the bill was a whopping 1,300 pounds ($2,600), picked up by one of William's friends.

Shockingly, the party didn't leave a tip but Nisar said he wasn't bothered.