Our vendors got the royal treatment all year
The royals couldn’t get enough of our vendors this year.
When Prince William visited Pret A Manger in Bournemouth – one of six locations where his homelessness initiative Homewards has launched – Big Issue vendor Karl Burns spotted his chance. Burns was whisked into a queue alongside Paul Gascoigne – oddly enough, Burns’s friend and customer – for a royal appointment. He sold a magazine to William, who also paid for Burns’s lunch.
Burns described the meeting as “a blessing” and his story even inspired two readers, who wished to remain anonymous, to pay £2,000 to buy Karl a mobility scooter.
Clearly, the interaction left an impression on Prince William too. Earlier this month he was back in the iconic red tabard
