If there's one thing Queen Elizabeth II can never be, it's ordinary.
After all, she was quite literally born into royalty, and for the past 68 years, she has
been the monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations.
But with great power comes great sacrifice, and there are a whole bunch of things the
queen isn't allowed to do.
For one thing, she can't just eat whatever strikes her fancy, but has to take into account
any possible side effects that might prove less-than-regal — so that means no garlic,
no onions, and no messy sauces.
That doesn't mean the queen dines upon nothing but caviar and quails' eggs, though, and her
food rules aren't so restrictive as to make things totally miserable.
For example, she's said to be very fond of chocolate cake, likes a cocktail now and then,
and her regular Friday-night treat is reportedly fish and chips.
And yes, the queen even likes a little taste of America every now and again, with her favorite
all-American food being the good old fashioned burger.
Of course, just like the queen herself, the burger may actually have German roots — or
at least a German-derived name.
Nevertheless, this food will forever be associated with Britain's rogue colony, thanks in part
to fast food chains like McDonald's, which has around 1,300 restaurants throughout the
U.K. alone.
As former palace chef revealed in an interview,
however, the Queen isn't
much of a fan of Big Macs, nor does she hanker after a Quarter Pounder, either.
Instead, she prefers her burgers cooked to her own specifications.
Often, her burgers will be made with free-range meat — so free-range, in fact, that it would
have been running through the grounds at Balmoral shortly before appearing on her plate.
And no, it's not cattle they've got roaming the royal forests and estates — it's deer.
Reportedly, the royals enjoy a bit of deer hunting from time to time, followed by a tasty
meat of venison burgers.
As O'Grady said:
"There'd be gorgeous cranberry and everything stuffed into them."
But while the queen may have enjoyed plenty of venison burgers during her many visits
to Balmoral over the years, not all of them will have been cooked by O'Grady — or even
any palace chef at all.
Instead, the man behind the grill may well have been Prince Philip, who was renowned
for his passion for cooking.
While the Duke of Edinburgh's taste certainly conflicted with those of his royal sovereign,
he would nonetheless defer to her preferences when they dined together.
When she was away, however, he would get a little more adventurous with his eating, and
was even known to visit the palace kitchens himself — sometimes for a late-night snack,
but on at least one occasion, he went in there to take over the cooking.
He was also fond of a little outdoor grilling, as referenced in Prince Harry's now-famous
tribute to his grandfather, which referred to him as the, quote, "master of the barbecue."
"Boom."
It stands to reason, then, that the queen's burgers may often have been rustled up by
Prince Philip himself.
Naturally, of course, the queen's burgers likely come with all the trimmings — but
there's one thing they don't have.
According to O'Grady, the palace staff never serves them with buns.
This is because, as O'Grady explains:
"Her Majesty's Victorian upbringing dictates that the only thing you would pick up and
eat with your fingers is afternoon tea."
That basically means that the queen eats her burgers with a knife and fork — and a bun
would just complicate that.
O'Grady didn't reveal much else about the queen's preferences with her burgers, though
it's probably fair to say she doesn't often have ketchup.
This is because the royals tend to avoid "'messy' tomato sauces" altogether.
With or without ketchup, whether she uses a fork or fingers, it's still nice to know
the queen sometimes gets to eat the same stuff the rest of us do.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about the finest foods are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.