You’ll Never Guess What Snack Princess Diana Kept in Her Personal Fridge
Being a member of the British royal family certainly has its privileges. Sure, there are the over-the-top palaces they reside in, their travels around the world and the lavish events they get to attend in full fairy-tale regalia. But the best part of being royalty just may be the fact that staffers will fetch them almost anything they want, at any time of the day—including their favorite snacks! And Princess Diana took full advantage of this perk, according to a recent interview with a former Buckingham Palace chef.
So … are we talking Pringles? Cheese and crackers? The palace’s famous chocolate chip cookies? Er, not quite. Princess Diana‘s go-to snack is an unusual choice, at least by American standards. Read on to find out what the Princess of Wales kept in her snack fridge for quick bites between events and the occasional midnight snack, as well as the rest of the royals’ favorite foods.
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What was Princess Diana’s go-to snack?
According to Mervyn Wycherley, who cooked for the royal family for 33 years, Diana’s go-to snack was—wait for it—cold lamb cutlets. We know, that’s not the first thing that popped into our heads either! But Diana apparently liked to munch on this protein-packed snack when visiting the staff kitchen. “There was a small fridge, and I used to leave things in the fridge that she liked: cold lamb cutlets and things like that,” Wycherly told the Sun in a recent interview.
While this snack choice may seem unusual, it’s not an uncommon choice in the U.K. Cold lamb cutlets are a British favorite for picnics, barbecues and potlucks because they can be prepped and easily stored. That said, they might not last that long if a princess comes around!
Was Diana a big snacker?
It seems Princess Diana may have enjoyed the secret snacking more than the formal dinner parties she had to attend. Ken Wharfe, who served as the family’s Royal Protection Officer from 1986 to 2002 and was interviewed alongside Wycherly, told the tabloid that the princess would often sneak into the kitchen in between meals, casually sit on a chest freezer and enjoy her lamb cutlets (or other snacks) while chatting with the staff, who she considered “to be part of this wider family.”
That sort of warmth, of course, is what made people love Diana so much. And aside from her bonding time with the staff, she also indulged in another certain guilty pleasure while away from the rest of the royals. “The princess spent a lot of time in the kitchen—in fact, reading the Sun, which wasn’t allowed in the house,” Wycherly noted, adding that the contraband was smuggled in by his maid.
What were Diana’s other favorite foods?
Besides cold lamb cutlets, Diana requested one other dish several times a week. According to Darren McGrady, her personal chef of 11 years, “her favorite dish was bell peppers stuffed with zucchini, mushrooms, rice [and] garlic, topped with Parmesan and mozzarella, and finished with a smoked tomato and pepper sauce.”
She also had a bit of a sweet tooth. McGrady says she particularly loved bread and butter pudding—a mix of American bread pudding and creme brulee with raisins on top. The princess would often watch the chef prepare it in the kitchen and even offer to make him a cup of coffee while he was busy getting her favorite dessert ready.
What foods do the other royals love to snack on?
Of course, Diana wasn’t the only foodie in The Firm. Here’s what other senior royals have enjoyed noshing on over the years.
King Charles: Fresh veggies
Known as a proponent of organic foods, the current monarch reportedly takes care of his very own royal vegetable garden. During his time with the royal family, Wharfe recalls that Charles would disappear with a wooden basket, then return with hand-picked vegetables for the chef to turn into a healthy meal right away. The king follows a mostly plant-based diet but loves the occasional pheasant pie, lamb and risotto. For breakfast, he often opts for cheesy baked eggs or a boiled egg.
Queen Camilla: Fish and chips
It doesn’t get any more British than this: Camilla loves fish and chips on toast, as well as beans on toast. But just like her husband, she’s keen on home-grown veggies. When she visited a school in Slough, near London, in 2013, she revealed her favorite healthy snack: “peas straight from the garden.”
Queen Elizabeth II: Chocolate
Now, here’s a confession most of us can probably relate to: The late Queen Elizabeth II, was apparently a secret chocoholic. Her majesty had “very floral tastes,” according to Adam Lee, head chocolatier of her favorite chocolate brand, Charbonnel et Walker. Her favorites reportedly included chocolate with rose or violet cream. McGrady also shared that one of the queen’s all-time favorite desserts was dark chocolate mousse with coffee.
Prince William: Burgers and pizza
As a teenager, Prince William, like most kids his age, was a big fan of burgers and pizzas—much to his father’s chagrin. Wharf recalls once coming back from Sticky Fingers, a burger joint owned by the Rolling Stones’s Bill Wyman, with William, who told his father about the “amazing burgers” he’d had there. Charles’s response? “I don’t know why you eat that food when I have this marvelous army of chefs at Kensington Palace.” Well, he’s not wrong!
Prince Harry: In-N-Out Burger
Prince Harry quit the royal family for life in the United States, so it seems only fitting that his go-to food is also American. According to his wife, Meghan Markle, the prince loves In-N-Out Burger. “There’s one at the halfway point between L.A. and our neck of the woods,” she told Variety in 2022. “It’s really fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them. They know our order.”
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Sources:
- The Sun: “Charles and William’s row over BURGERS, Diana’s secrets & Queen’s treats – royal chef reveals all”
- Marie Claire: “Princess Diana’s favourite dish has been revealed by royal chefs”
- HuffPost: “Princess Diana’s chef, Darren McGrady, dishes on her eating habits & how she duped Oprah”
- HuffPost: “Duchess of Cornwall reveals her favourite food is raw peas”
- Love FOOD: “King Charles’ favourite foods and what the royal family really eats”
- The Independent: “These are the Queen’s favourite chocolates, according to a royal chocolatier”
- Vanity Fair: “Prince Harry is a fan of In-N-Out Burger, says Meghan Markle”
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