A royal chef for over 15 years has shared some insight into the young Princes’ palettes and don’t be fooled into thinking William and Harry were served up five-star fayre every night
They could call upon some of the country’s leading chefs, but Prince William and Prince Harry’s favourite childhood meals included grub served up in households across the nation.
The young royals’ palettes were no different to most youngsters growing up – and William today even has some very relatable go-to dishes and even has a taste for famous chicken joint Nando’s, as well as the famous British roast dinner. There were classics plated up in the Palaces from an early age, too.
Darren McGrady, the respected personal cook to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana and Princes William and Harry for 15 years, has since shared an incredible insight into what the young Princes were partial to – and their tastes are surprisingly ordinary. Forget posh food, they used to love some warming home comforts.
He previously told PEOPLE Magazine: “I remember holding the boys as babies, when the Princess was eating cereal in the kitchen, thinking, ‘Wow, here I am, literally holding the crown jewels’.” The professional went on to reveal that the young Princes would enjoy “traditional, English food” and that their favourites included meals such as cottage pie and peas, poached chicken and rice and fish cakes.
“They may be royal children but they still have children’s palates,” the chef added. “[They had] everything a normal British child would have. The only difference is that they had a chef cooking it for them.” In a previous interview with HELLO!, Darren then revealed that William and Harry loved to eat dishes that contained bananas, which was a favourite fruit.
He said: “They liked comfort food dishes. They loved banana flan, anything with banana really, banana ice cream. They loved things like mixed grills, burgers, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and cream chicken sauce…” William’s love of traditional food is something that he and his wife Kate have passed on to their own children, George, Charlotte, and Louis.
William is also a big fan of Nando’s which was revealed in the BBC documentary, Football, Prince William and Our Mental Mental Health which aired in May 2020. He confessed: “Everyone loves a Nando’s. In fact, the policeman who’s on with me again [today], he’s the one who gets me the Nando’s the whole time. It’s his fault.”
Kate does a lot of cooking with her brood and in 2019, she told TV presenter Mary Berry: “We grow our own vegetables, we’ve got carrots, beans… beetroot’s a massive favourite, Louis absolutely loves beetroot.” She also revealed that Charlotte “obviously loves her Charlotte potatoes”.
Matthew Kleiner-Mann, chief executive of the Ivy Learning Trust, also said Kate and her children also like to make cheesy pasta together. He said: “One stirs the flour, one puts the milk and butter in. She was telling us how much her children love cooking and how they cook for her.”
Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl told Vanity Fair that Kate loves to cook William his favourite dish, which is a roast chicken dinner. She said: “In the evenings she indulges her hobby of cooking William’s favourite supper, roast chicken.”
