Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 08:24pm on 27 Feb 2026,Friday India Global
Campaigners have taken a petition with over 20,000 signatures to Buckingham Palace urging King Charles to prevent the closure of Veeraswamy, the UK's oldest surviving Indian restaurant, founded in March 1926 on Regent Street. The Crown Estate, which manages the Grade II-listed Victory House, declined to renew the restaurant's lease citing plans for comprehensive modernisation. Co-owner Ranjit Mathrani called the decision "short-sighted," saying "100 years of history is being relegated to the dustbin." Celebrity chefs Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux and Richard Corrigan signed the petition. Veeraswamy, which received a Michelin star in 2016 and catered twice at Buckingham Palace, described itself as a "symbol of Indo-British cultural connections."