The Kate Middleton Country Tour: Next stop, vodka Slimlines at the Old Boot Inn!

Kate Middleton got drunk there. Admittedly there are no such proclamations outside the Old Boot Inn pub in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, but as the Kate Middleton country tour confirms this is the future Princess' favourite pub and, given the grand tradition of English tippling, it’s very likely she has had one too many ales or pear ciders or vodka Slimlines (a popular chick drink here) at the establishment over the years.

Celebrating its maiden voyage last weekend, the Kate Middleton Country Tour is the newest tourist cash-grab spawned by the fervor surrounding the upcoming royal nuptials. Costing just £10 per person, the guided coach tour explores Kate’s home turf of Berkshire, the county directly west of London and the home of the English Premier League's Bracknell Bees ice hockey team.

Run by the coach hire company, Mortons, the tour includes: Kate’s childhood home in the village Chapel Row; the town of Bucklebury, where she grew up; St. Andrew’s and Marlborough Colleges, where she attended school; and St. Andrews Church in the village of Bradfield, where Kate was christened and also served as a Brownie. 

The highlight, of course, is the Old Boot. Yes, it’s the only stop on the tour where visitors can enjoy a dubious vodka Slimline, but it’s also the establishment that has most enthusiastically embraced its Kate-connection. Proprietor John Hayley (who, if you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you know is a guest at the royal wedding) has planned a massive fancy dress party to celebrate the big event.  The April 29th soiree includes numerous prizes for things such as the best royal wedding hat, the best royal wedding painting or collage (no kidding), and the best prince and princess costumes. I’m definitely going as a Brownie.