Everybody's got to eat, even the royals. Given that they essentially have their pick of any
food in the world, what do they choose? From healthy options to occasional indulgences,
here's what some of the most famous royals favor.
Even more than two decades after her passing in 1997, the public remains fascinated with
the late Princess Diana. Unlike other royals of her era, Diana was often open about the
struggles she faced, including an eating disorder. As she overcame the disorder,
she followed a healthy diet full of vegetables. One of Diana's favorite dishes was Eggs Suzette,
which is essentially eggs benedict served inside a baked potato.
Another meal Diana particularly loved was stuffed bell peppers,
according to her private chef, Darren McGrady. To make it, mushrooms, zucchini,
and rice are placed in a bell pepper, and the whole thing is topped with cheese. Finally,
tomato sauce is added for extra flavor. The whole thing would then be cooked to
perfection. According to McGrady, Princess Diana requested this meal multiple times per week.
"Her favorite foods were the stuffed bell peppers,
stuffed eggplant. She loved bread and butter pudding."
Queen Elizabeth II lived for nearly 100 years, so it makes sense that
people would take an interest in her lifestyle and diet. According to People,
the late queen would eat many of the same foods every day. She also incorporated a few
rules into her meal plan. She wouldn't eat starches, such as pasta, rice, or potatoes,
for dinner. Nor would she eat shellfish or foie gras when dining out. According to Marie Clarie,
the no-shellfish rule applies to the entire family, to avoid food poisoning.
But when it came to tea time, the queen could never skip one of her favorite guilty pleasures:
jam penny sandwiches. The sandwiches are said to mimic the dimensions of the old English penny. All
that's required to make them is bread, butter, and jam. Queen Elizabeth would faithfully eat a jam
penny sandwich every day, according to McGrady, who was also the queen's chef for 15 years.
Like his wife, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip lived a long life.
He was 99 at the time of his death. So what dietary habits
kept him kicking for so long? Despite the royal family's usual aversion to seafood,
Philip made an exception for salmon, which is considered one of the healthiest foods around.
One of his most beloved meals was a dish called salmon coulibiac, a type of pirog,
a Russian stuffed pie. This fish-filled pie is usually prepared along with buckwheat or
rice. Other fillings commonly include dill, hard-boiled eggs, and mushrooms. All of
that gets wrapped in a package of puff pastry. Finally, the whole thing is shaped into a loaf
and baked. This somewhat elaborate Russian recipe certainly seems fitting as a prince's favorite.
King Charles III has been known for his somewhat picky requests. This includes
requests he makes of his kitchen staff. McGrady, who is now the king's personal chef,
told Delish that one of the monarch's favorite meals is seared lamb with wild mushroom risotto.
"It's no secret King Charles III loves Italian food."
But the picky king requires it to be prepared in a specific way. The mushrooms must be organic,
and they must be taken from his land. According to reports, Charles himself
would show chefs where to forage the best wild mushrooms while staying at Balmoral Castle,
the Scottish home of the British royal family. The lamb itself must also be organic.
Camila Parker Bowles has been married to King Charles since 2005,
but royal watchers know that their relationship dates back much further.
Camilla had a long romantic rivalry with Charles' first wife, Princess Diana,
leading Diana's supporters to hold a grudge even now. But Camilla has her fans, as well,
including the queen herself. And those who think of Diana as the "people's princess"
might be surprised to hear that Camilla loves a traditional, working-class British dish.
According to You Magazine, one of her favorite meals is a British classic:
baked beans on toast. The queen consort isn't as picky as her husband,
who prefers organic food fresh from the farm or wild. However, she has one specific request:
Camilla says that the baked beans used must always be Heinz brand from a can.
William, Prince of Wales, is next in line for the throne. He and his wife Catherine,
Princess of Wales, are known for being pretty healthy when it comes to what they eat. As such,
it makes sense that one meal Prince William loves to eat is sushi. While
the royal family typically isn't allowed to eat seafood and shellfish,
William and Kate like to break the rules on occasion and enjoy a roll or two.
According to Now to Love, on a 2018 visit to Japan, Chef Akira Shimizu gave the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge a bento box as a gift. As Prince William accepted the box, he responded by
saying that he and Kate love sushi.
According to Express, tens of thousands of people search Google to learn about
Princess Catherine's meal choices every month. Given the slim shape she maintains,
that's no surprise. The Princess of Wales is known for keeping to a health-conscious regimen
that includes daily smoothies, and she tends to stick to a mostly vegetarian diet. One of
her favorite meals is spicy, Indian-style curry, a dish she particularly craved while pregnant.
"So what would you have? Would you have a pizza? Would you have Chinese? What would you have?"
"Curry." "Curry."
"I'm just finding out so much. These are the things I want to know."
On occasion, Princess Catherine likes to cook this dish for her family. She has
noted that it's hard to make something pleasing for everyone in her family of
five because everyone has a different spice tolerance. Regardless of the spice levels,
the curry recipes that the princess prefers are likely to be meat-free.
Prince George of Wales is the eldest son of Prince William and Princess Catherine. It's
likely to be quite a while before he becomes king, but if his taste buds are any indication,
he'll be a sophisticated one. Rather than asking for your typical kid favorites,the young prince's
favorite meal is spaghetti carbonara, according to celebrity chef Aldo Zilli.
Spaghetti carbonara is considered one of the four great Roman pasta dishes. The only
ingredients required are pork belly, eggs, cheese, and spaghetti, plus some olive oil
and black pepper for added flavor. During the coronavirus lockdowns in 2020 and 2021,
George's mom began making fresh pasta, which makes the dish all the better.
Princess Charlotte is the middle child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,
younger than George but older than their youngest child, Louis. Her favorite meal is pretty standard
for any child under 10 years of age: She loves to eat cheesy pasta, such as macaroni and cheese.
The young princess may even know how to cook it herself. Her mother has said that Charlotte
and George like to attempt making cheesy pasta together. But while her favorite meal is one
just about everyone loves, Charlotte has some more divisive preferences. The kid also loves olives.
Even before Prince Harry and his wife, Megan Markle, got married in 2018,
they shared a fondness for the same meal: roast chicken. Since childhood, Prince Harry has been
known for his love of this meal. Royal chef Darren McGrady said that both Prince Harry
and his brother William loved to dine on roast chicken with a side of macaroni and cheese.
Luckily for Harry, his wife loves this dish as well. Markle said she likes
cooking for her husband, following recipes such as those created by celebrity chef Ina
Garten. Roast chicken has apparently become a shared tradition of theirs.
Harry chose to propose to Megan while the two were making the dish together.
"What were we doing? Just roasting chicken and having…"
"Roasting chicken. Trying to roast a chicken."
"Trying to roast a chicken."
Markle also shares an affection for other chicken recipes, such as Filipino-style chicken adobo.
Princess Anne is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and some of her
eating habits have become infamous. For example, she eats overripe bananas because she says they
are easier to digest. Of course, not everything she likes is so idiosyncratic. Anne's favorite
meal is deviled pheasant, a traditional English meal centered around the game bird.
The technique of "deviling" a food usually comes from combining it with certain spices.
But with deviled pheasant, it's a little different. To make it,
a chef cooks two such game birds with ingredients such as garlic,
onions, and carrots. The bones are removed, leaving the meat to sit in a stew. Then,
they mix together stiff whipped cream, mango chutney, and Worcestershire sauce. Eventually,
they drain the meat, combine it with the whipped cream mixture, and bake the whole thing.
Princess Eugenie is the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson,
making her the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. She is
often tempted to pick up croissants, which she claims are her favorite food.
In 2018, Eugenie told Harper's Bazaar that she has a special fondness for the classic French
pastries. She said she often encounters the smell of fresh croissants while at the gym or
at a Waitrose, a high-end British supermarket. That said, Eugenie also has a reputation for
being health-conscious when it comes to food. If she can resist the smell of Waitrose croissants,
she opts for a healthy meal at Kingly Court, a food court in West London.
Princess Beatrice is also the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. She's
likewise known for maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes following a vegan
diet from time to time. For her 31st birthday, Beatrice had a completely "plant-based" menu,
Express reported. She even served a dairy-free birthday cake. Later,
in 2021, she dined at a London vegan restaurant called 123V. There, Vegan Food and Living noted
that Beatrice ordered the vegan sushi and reportedly really enjoyed the meal.
This form of "sushi," is of course, made without fish. Instead, various plant-based products take
the place of seafood. Some restaurants offer vegan sushi with vegetable fillings made of ingredients
like avocado. Since avocado is already a traditional ingredient in pescatarian sushi rolls,
such as California Rolls or Philadelphia rolls, this helps keep the recipe tasting
reminiscent of the real thing. You can even make an easier version of Princess Beatrice's
favorite meal to eat at home by creating a less technically-challenging vegan sushi bowl.