Royal Family Members Can’t Eat Shellfish, Potatoes, or Pasta in Public

In some respects, it makes sense that the royal family must follow intense rules. Like, take the reported no-selfies-allowed restriction. On the one hand, selfies are everywhere and it might be hard to tell Kate Middleton she can't post a particularly cute hair day on her Instagram (opens in new tab). On the other hand, though, this is a family that’s supposed to represent England’s cultural and charitable values, so do we really want to see royals posting bathroom mirror LOTDs?

But then again, there are some royal restrictions that seem nearly impossible to follow. According to an interview in the Telegraph with former palace chef Darren McGrady, become a princess and you can pretty much kiss carbohydrates goodbye.

McGrady told the publication that, when it comes to not being allowed to eat certain foods in public, like shellfish and foie gras, the restriction exists because they’re too “risky.” He didn’t elaborate on what was risky about them, but Yahoo Sport reported that it’s believed Prince Charles had animal welfare concerns on the brain when he banned the decidedly politically incorrect foie gras. And as for seafood, well, you can imagine the photos of Prince William in a bib cracking into some juicy king crab legs and...yeah, O.K., that one kind of makes sense. Not exactly a refined way to eat. (Though that doesn't stop the rules from sometimes being broken.)

But then McGrady, who was the chef at Buckingham Palace from 1982 to 1993, dropped this bombshell: “No potatoes, rice or pasta for dinner.” Read that again. No. Pasta. I now fully understand why Meghan Markle couldn’t handle the pressure. No pasta?! Scrutiny from millions of people from multiple countries all day and then no pasta to reward yourself at the end of the day?!

Fortunately, McGrady elaborates that this rule is more about what to serve when the Queen is dining with the family—HRH is apparently not a fan of carbs for dinner. “'When she dines on her own she’s very disciplined. No starch is the rule...Just usually something like grilled sole with vegetables and salad.”

And Yahoo Sport also reminds us of a clip from Duchess Camilla's appearance on MasterChef Australia, when she was asked about what was absent from the royal table. "I hate to say this, but garlic. Garlic is a no-no." That would be a hard one to follow, too.

Although clearly not everyone is following the strict no-pasta, no-garlic rule: As we reported last year, Prince George’s favorite food is reportedly the rather grown-up dish pasta carbonara.