British Pub In Washington To Host Royal Wedding And FA Cup Viewing Day

A British-style pub in Washington DC is now the go-to watering hole for expats keeping up with Brexit developments and watching Saturday’s Royal Wedding.

This coming Saturday, the Queen Vic British pub will be the only place in town for Anglophiles and British expats in Washington D.C. From 7 a.m. all eyes will be on the Windsor Castle wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and by midday the foootie crowd will take over to watch the FA Cup Final between soccer powerhouses Chelsea and Manchester United. Expect a clash between raucous versions of ‘There’ll always be an England’ and the equally raucous chants of dedicated supporters of the beautiful game.

Viewing parties for both events will be taking place all over Washington, but the Queen Vic is the only venue covering both. Since its opening seven years ago the pub has come to symbolise everything British in the city, a kind of default destination for homesick Brits as well as Americans fascinated by the peculiarity which is Britishness. On the day of the Brexit referendum, it stayed open till very late in order to cover all the results, and has done the same on British election days.

On a lighter note, it hosted a Dr Who 50th Anniversary viewing party, attended by sci-fi geeks as well as the noisy remnants of soccer fans propping up the bar. Every weekend, Liverpool FC supporters are treated to the club’s latest match, and every Robert Burns Night it serves up genuinely traditional Scottish Haggis as its main dish.

Proud co-owner Roneeka Gordon is a Liverpool lass, and remembers the last Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton which took place just three weeks after the pub’s opening. Roneeka and her American husband thought it might be fun to show the Royal marriage, but didn’t expect much interest from the regulars. Rather than the low-key event they’d expected, the pub was soon packed to overflowing with Brits dressed up for the occasion, and sparkling wine replaced the usual beer as tipple of the day. This time, they’re expecting many customers to stay all day, and are serving a special Royal Wedding menu including scones, devilled Scotch eggs and full English breakfasts.