Ananova:

A cinema owner says Prince William was among the audience for a matinee showing of the new Lord Of The Rings film.

The Prince was said to have watched Lord Of The Rings - Return Of The King with friends at the 147-seat Hollywood cinema in Dereham, Norfolk, on Saturday.

The cinema is one of a chain of five independent cinemas in East Anglia owned by businessman Trevor Wicks.

Mr Wicks said staff had spotted the Prince when he arrived wearing a baseball cap. He said after William's party had left a police protection officer had confirmed to staff that the visitor was the Prince.

The Prince had bought five Cornetto ice-creams - three strawberry flavoured and two mint - during the interval.

Prince William is spending Christmas on the Queen's Sandringham estate which is a few miles from Dereham.

"I think it's fantastic," said Mr Wicks. "I couldn't believe it when I got the call from my manager telling me what had happened.

"What's great is the ordinariness of it. He could have gone anywhere. He could have gone to a West End premiere but instead he came to a local cinema.

"He came with a party of 11 and they pre-booked. One of his security staff was seen in the market square on a walkie-talkie shortly before he arrived.

"The staff were in little doubt that it was him. He bought ice-creams in the interval - apparently he first offered a £5 then handed over £10 when he was told that £5 wasn't enough."

"And when they had all left one of his protection officers gave one of our staff a thumbs-up and said 'You were right', it is him.

"So I don't think there's any doubt it was him. If it wasn't, it was a very elaborate hoax."

Kiosk assistant Diana Isbill told her local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press, how she sold the Prince ice-creams.

"He actually gave me £5 first and we had to tell him it was more than that, so he then gave us a £10," she said.

"I didn't feel I could keep staring at him and he had to be entitled to his privacy."

Mr Wicks, who also owns cinemas in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Fakenham and Lowestoft, took control of the cinema in the market place in Dereham 12 years ago after it was threatened with closure.

He added: "I don't think he's ever been to one of my cinemas before. I hope he visits us again."

A spokesman for Prince William declined to comment.