King Charles ‘drowns a few sorrows’ after England’s World Cup defeat
King Charles was left in “some grief” the day after England’s dramatic exit from the World Cup.
Charles and Queen Camilla visited the Hall & Woodhouse Badger Brewery in Blandford, Dorset, on Thursday, following the national team’s 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Charles poured a pint of Fursty Ferret, a 3.4 percent amber ale that is one of the brewery’s best sellers.
“Perhaps it’s a good day to drown out a few sorrows,” he said with a smile before taking a sip.
England fans were left devastated by the defeat in Atlanta, Georgia, where the team failed to qualify for the final for the first time in 60 years.
More than 24 million people watched the match on BBC One and iPlayer, making it the most-watched broadcast of the game in the UK of the year.
It was the biggest live TV event in the UK since the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, where Italy beat England on penalties.
During a visit to the brewery on Thursday, the royal couple met apprentice brewers and chefs and observed trainee cooks compete in a competition. Master Chefstyle competition.
Hall & Woodhouse Badger Brewery, founded by Charles Hall in 1777, will celebrate its 250th anniversary next year.
It now produces more than nine million pints a year, employs more than 1,500 people and operates around 140 pubs in the south of England.
King also spoke to the brewery’s finance director Paul Barnett about the impact of the World Cup on their business, which consists of food-focused pubs without screens for football matches.
Mr Barnett told the King candidly: “I’m quite relieved we’re getting out of football because we don’t make a lot of money.”
England’s World Cup campaign is not over yet. They now have to face France in the third-place play-off match, which will start at 22:00 CET on Saturday in Miami.
“None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” said under-fire England manager Thomas Tuchel.
“They want to play in the final. We gave everything for that.
“Everyone is playing to win the World Cup, but that’s the way it is. We have one day less recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism.”
