After months of uncertainty about the future of the iconic Prince William pub in Magalluf, the tenants of the historic premises, who have been running it since 1982 under a lifetime lease with the landowner, currently the Calvia Town Council following the purchase and subsequent demolition of the Hotel Teix, will soon be able to reopen their doors.
They will do so more than four months after being forced to close on 3 November ‘due to circumstances beyond our control’, according to the signs in Spanish and English that have been displayed all this time at the entrances to the well-known and historic premises. ‘The adjacent hotel - referring to the Teix - has been acquired by the Calvia Town Council and is being demolished - it was demolished months ago. We regret the way in which the town council has handled the situation, but unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it,’ added the statement, which made it clear that employees continued to receive their salaries during this time.
Calvia Town Council suspended the Prince William’s operating licence as a result of a complaint about the work carried out on an adjoining premises, where toilets were installed, which have been the centre of controversy and dispute. “We had meetings with the town council, they offered us a sum of money in exchange for terminating the contract, but we did not think it was enough to open another premises and continue our business elsewhere,” said Álex Crespo, son of the leaseholder, who on 17 February finally received permission to re-enter the Prince William, paying the rent from that day onwards, as the council agreed not to charge them rent during the closure and even to compensate them for the time they were closed.
The High Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands (TSJIB) has ruled in favour of the Prince William managers’ claim, which sought the provisional and precautionary suspension of the licence for the premises by the Calvia Town Council, while the dispute with the tenants is ongoing, so that it can resume full activity. To this end, the managers of the establishment have already begun to call their employees to start their return for Easter and the start of the season.
The ruling issued by the Administrative Court orders the ‘suspension of the execution of the resolution of the Deputy Mayor for Activities of the Calvia Town Council, dated 26 September 2025, which declares the impossibility of continuing the activity and orders the closure of the Prince William establishment’.
An appeal may be lodged against this ruling within 30 days of notification of the ruling, including before the Supreme Court. Calvia Town Council has declined to comment on the case, after being informed and consulted by the Bulletin sister paper Última Hora regarding the TSJIB’s decision.
After learning of the ruling, the managers of the establishment have accelerated efforts to fully rehire staff and proceed with cleaning and preparing the premises, with the intention of reopening in a few days.
Their goal is to be open again this coming weekend if there is time to get everything ready, which would mark the start of the season and their reopening since closing last November. ‘People have welcomed the news with enthusiasm, eager to visit us again, and it will allow us to get back to work and our staff to do the same, which was one of our priorities,’ said Álex Crespo, currently in charge of the Prince William.
The complaint by the Calvia Town Council focuses on the work carried out in the old Prince William space, which was used as a warehouse. “The property terminated the contract for the small premises and the work we did, mainly new bathrooms, has been for nothing. We walled up and rebuilt the bathrooms and that is why they are suspending our operating licence. We are left without bathrooms and so we cannot serve customers either. And that’s despite the fact that we had the building permit and paid all the fees...”, he said, and that is why they feel bewildered, given that the council considers this space to be illegal. From this point on, the outcome of the court battle between the managers of the Prince William and Calvia Town Council will determine the medium and long-term future of Magalluf’s charismatic pub.