Prince Harry, of England’s Royal Family, visited McP’s while completing helicopter training at nearby El Centro in 2011. “We try not to make a big deal about visiting celebs,” said Taylor. “They’re just like any other customer, and we want to honor their privacy as best we can. But in the case of Prince Harry, we did manage to put him at a special table in the corner, where he could see all the action but stay out of the way.
“We did the best we could to make sure autograph seekers and photographers didn’t bother him. That’s standard procedure for our management and staff because we want McP’s to be a place they can get away from it all. They come in, we serve them like any other customer, and they love it.”
We locals may take our many nocturnal hot spots for granted when gifted with wild parties every night of the week. But all it takes are a few high profile celebrity sightings in town to make us realize just how lucky we are to live in America’s Finest City. First, Ashton Kutcher put San Diego on the cover of every major gossip tabloid when he reportedly cheated on Demi Moore while partying at FLUXX and the Hard Rock Hotel. Just weeks later, and with a whole lot more class, our favorite bad-boy British prince kept the global spotlight on San Diego when he was spotted enjoying a taste of the good life this past weekend.
Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Harry had arrived in the United States last week, and that he will be staying in the states for a two-month military helicopter training course. More than just a notorious party boy, the Prince of Wales is a British Army captain and his Apache helicopter training is based at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, which is about a two-hour drive from San Diego. But of course, it can’t be all work and no play for the 27-year-old prince.
Prince Harry has already been spotted at a few San Diego bars and clubs, including Ivy Rooftop at the Andaz Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter and McP’s Irish Pub & Grill, a military hangout in Coronado. Prince Harry and 20 of his military training pals lounged in a VIP cabana at Ivy Rooftop on Friday, October 7th and were seen drinking Absolut Vodka, Red Bull and plenty of beer while catching the rugby match on TV and soaking in the city views. Unlike Ashton, the prince kept his composure, partied responsibly and enjoyed a fun night out with the boys, San Diego style.
But it’s not all posh super-clubs for this royal party boy; Prince Harry was also spotted at McP’s which is a laidback Irish pub located just a block away from the Hotel del Coronado. “He sat outside at a picnic table and ate a burger and beer. He was very personable. He was a nice guy, very low-key,” McP’s bar manager Ted Taylor told People magazine.
