Prince William and Princess Kate dine separately from their three children on formal events or large family dinners – and a former royal chef has revealed the reason why
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are not allowed to sit with their parents during official dinners and formal events for an unusual reason, according to a former royal chef.
Darren McGrady, who worked for both the late Queen and Princess Diana, previously spoke about the rules surrounding the children’s mealtimes – and gave an interesting insight into William and Harry’s childhood food. He told Harper’s Bazaar, that the Prince and Princess of Wales’ three children “aren’t allowed to sit with the adults until they have learned the art of polite conversation”. He noted that there were never any exceptions, including Christmas.
Instead, McGrady said that the three children would eat with their nanny in the nursery. “The children always ate in the nursery until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table,” he said. “The royal nursery wasn’t just for educating the minds of the young royals but educating their palates, too,” McGrady continued. “Nanny always had control of the menu and made sure they ate balanced meals that included not only lots of healthy vegetables but introduced them to new grown-up dishes too.”
According to the chef, getting Prince William and Prince Harry to eat their vegetables as children was no easy task. He revealed the two brothers were bribed into eating vegetables during royal meal times, and if that didn’t work, he would disguise veggies in their meals by hiding it in their favourite foods.
It’s not just royal children affected by rules surrounding food and mealtimes. While some of these items are common in most British kitchens, others are considered “rarer” and are avoided due to the risk of illness, while another is a “no-no” because of the King ‘s principles.
Two very common items usually found in our kitchens – onions and garlic – are mostly avoided by members of the Royal Family. Former Royal chef John Higgins once revealed: “At Buckingham Palace , you don’t cook with garlic. I suppose, in case you get the royal burp.”
This rule, primarily in place during Royal events and state banquets at home and abroad, was also confirmed by Queen Camilla in 2018. During an appearance on MasterChef Australia , when asked about banned Royal foods, Camilla said: “I hate to say this, but garlic. Garlic is a no-no.” Gary Mehigan, one of the judges, then asked: “So garlic is a no-no? Because you’re talking, chatting?” The King’s wife replied: “Yes, exactly. So you always have to lay off the garlic.”
Another food the royals are prohibited from eating while attending Royal events or tours is shellfish – to avoid the risk of food poisoning. Former butler to King Charles, Grant Harrold, has previously disclosed: “When dining, the Royal Family has to be careful with shellfish due to shellfish poisoning, due to their work schedules. It is a very sensible move to abandon having seafood when out and about on public duties. We don’t want a member of the Royal Family having a serious reaction to food poisoning. Especially if [they] are on an overseas tour. Therefore you will not normally find this on the royal menu.”
There is also one particular food that Charles detests so much that he’s prohibited it from all Royal residences. The King – who has even received commendation from animal rights organisation PETA – has banned the French delicacy foie gras from all menus served at his Royal residences due to the unethical way it’s made. Foie gras is produced from an abnormally enlarged duck or goose liver due to a disease called hepatic steatosis and is recognised as one of the most expensive delicacies globally.
