Prince William did an utterly bizarre photo shoot in his local pub and people think it's 'irresponsible'

Pubs have officially reopened for the first time today in more than three months and it seems no one is more excited than Prince William.

On Friday – a day before pubs were officially allowed to open for the general public in England – the future king ordered a pint of Aspall Suffolk Draught Cyder at the Rose and Crown in Snettisham in Norfolk, which is just a few miles from his family home.

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Before ordering the pint, the Duke of Cambridge used a nearby hand sanitiser dispenser to wash his hands.

He then joined a group of people on the lawn of the pub for a plate of chips and to chat to the owners.

Prince William reportedly said:

It could end up with everyone at the pub, because people just want a change of scene, being at home for so long. Are you worried about people getting a bit out of hand this weekend? I guess it’s more of a problem with the larger pub chains.

Landlords Anthony and Jeannette Goodrich said they were “a bit concerned” but were “ready for it”:

The only real worry is if we have 100 people in the garden and it rains. But we’ll have to deal with that.

But not everyone thought Prince William’s trip to his local pub was the most responsible thing to do amidst a global pandemic:

Some people called out the double standard in the fact pubs don’t officially open until Saturday:

While others noticed a lack of social distancing and masks:

Although it’s not mandatory to wear masks in England if you’re going to the pub, there are concerns of the “high risk” of contracting coronavirus in this environment.

According to Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on Friday:

The biggest risks are when lots of people from completely different households are brought together in close proximity indoors... that is a high risk activity.

At the time of writing, 44,131 people have died across the UK from the virus. There were 89 new deaths recorded on Friday alone.