NO DESSERTS, BUT THEY WERE AS NICE AS PIE

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle enjoyed a private hour-long lunch in a down-to-earth restaurant in Dublin’s Camden Street yesterday.

The newlyweds dined on lamb and roast hake in an historic converted Victorian building, now known as the Delahunt Restaurant in the south inner city.

While the couple had their lunch in a private snug, gardaí were seen removing two bikes outside on the street which had been chained to a pole near the restaurant’s entrance. In a statement, the gardaí later apologised, saying ‘the bikes were viewed as a potential hazard’, but offered to reimburse the costs of the broken locks.

Meanwhile, inside, restaurant manager Grace Davis said the royal meal had been planned for over a month and that staff were ‘flying high on adrenaline’ during the short visit.

Ms Davis told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘Harry and Meghan were absolutely lovely and friendly and very down-to-earth.

‘They really enjoyed their meals and their plates came back totally clear, which is always a really good sign. They had a busy day going everywhere, so they wanted someplace in between.’

Ms Davis said staff from the British Embassy ‘had been coming in and out for a few weeks and we weren’t really sure what

was going on’. She added: ‘I think they had a few places in mind, but we were chosen, and it was great. With these things you never know if you’re going to get picked.

‘They arrived at around 12.45pm and stayed until just after 2pm. They had someone with them who introduced them to every member of staff, which was lovely.

‘The two of them had home smoked salmon for starters. Meghan had roast hake served with curried mussels. Harry had sirloin Irish lamb. They had no desserts, they were too full so they just had some coffee. ‘We showed them down to their table and they had staff and security in a private room upstairs being served also.

‘The toilets are at the very back and it is an open concept kitchen. They were in a semiprivate snug, but you have to go all the way past the kitchen to go to the toilet, so they each stuck their head into the kitchen to say “hello” which was really special. They are super down-to -earth and really kind.’

Ms Davis said staff were ‘all really nervous and excited’, adding: ‘It was so busy overseeing everything and making sure

all went okay. They stayed for about an hour and 15 minutes.

‘We were serving the whole party but the preparations had begun first thing yesterday morning. The manger, Darren Free, was out cleaning the windows from early morning, and the street was closed off for the visit. It was so exciting.’

Ms Davis said the restaurant had to keep the planned visit ‘under wraps for so long’, adding: ‘You’re afraid to let anything slip in case it didn’t happen. Once they left, we crashed after all the adrenaline.’

Ms Davis, who was born in Canada, said she didn’t get a chance to discuss Ms Markle’s previous life as an actress in that country – where she lived during the

filming of hit TV show Suits.

She said: ‘It was too busy and we wanted them to feel relaxed so I didn’t get into it too much, but they did pose for a photo with all the staff before they left.’ Asked if they left a tip, Ms Davis laughed: ‘You’ll have to ask the owner.’

Harry and Meghan flew back to London yesterday evening just in time to catch England’s unsuccessful World Cup semifinal match with Croatia.

Ms Davis didn’t forget to wish England good luck, saying: ‘On the way out, after we did the staff picture, we asked Harry about the match and he said, “Yeah, it’s coming home”.’

It was his only error on a flawless day.

‘They stuck their heads into kitchen’