Growing up royal—especially if you happen to be the heir to the throne—is probably the furthest from normal upbringings can get.
Princess Diana was very aware of that reality while she was raising her sons Princes William and Harry, and she wanted to counteract it in any way she could, making sure they had a ton of normal experiences too—starting with the food they ate.
"I know it sounds dramatic to say, but the way Princess Diana was bringing the children into the next century—she was able to say, 'I know they’re royal children, but they’re normal children too,'" former royal chef Darren McGrady told Coffee Friend. "It wasn’t the case of having to dress for dinner or sit at the table and be served formally by butlers."
It's in that spirit that the mom and two boys shared the sweetest Saturday night tradition together.
"On a Saturday night, you’d see Diana sitting down in front of the TV eating dinner with her boys, it just made everything so normal," McGrady said. "Nanny always suggested that the boys have roasted chicken, green vegetables and healthy food, but on a Saturday night the boys could have pizza, the boys could have hamburgers and fried chicken, and things like that.
"It was a special treat. It was Diana’s way of showing them, 'you’re children too,' and we see a lot of that with Kate now too."
Chef McGrady has a point there: Prince William—now all grown up with kids of his own—and Kate Middleton also make sure George, Charlotte and Louis get to do normal kiddy things often. There was that one time they took them for burgers at a Norfolk pub, and that time the Duke of Cambridge was spotted accompanying Charlotte to a pizza party. The duchess also recently bought her two eldest kids a couple of Mr. Whippy ice creams. Good for them!
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
-
Princess Diana Revealed to a Royal Author the Real Reason Why Her Marriage to Prince Charles Ended Not Long Before She Died in 1997
And no, it apparently wasn’t Camilla Parker-Bowles.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Martha Louise of Norway Sets Wedding Date with Fiancé Shaman Durek Verrett After a Two Year Engagement
Already billed as “one of the most beautiful high society weddings of the year,” the celebration will last for four days.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Heidi Gardner Opens Up About Viral Moment She Broke Character During ‘Saturday Night Live’ Beavis and Butt-Head Sketch
“I just couldn’t prepare for what I saw.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle Thinks Prince Harry Is "Making a Big Mistake" in Wanting to Reach Out to William, Kate: Source
She's worried he'll get hurt again.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Prince William and Prince George Enjoy Boys' Night Out at Soccer Game
They cheered on their team.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Prince William Steps Out at a Pub in Norfolk with Someone We, Quite Frankly, Weren’t Expecting
The Prince of Wales and his family remain in Norfolk at their country home, Anmer Hall, while the kids are on Easter break from school.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Diana Would Be "Absolutely Distraught" Over the State of Prince William and Prince Harry's Relationship, Expert Claims
She wanted them to have each other's backs.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
When Their Relationship Got Serious In the 2000s, Prince William Set Kate Middleton Up With an Crisis Hotline to Call In Case of Emergency
“William decided that something had to be done to protect Kate.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Future King Prince William Has Lost One of His "Top Advisers" in Prince Harry, Says Expert
Harry could have been a major asset for him.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Prince William and Princess Kate Feel “Intense Anxiety” at the Prospect of Taking the Throne, Tina Brown Says
King Charles’ cancer diagnosis earlier this year put William and Kate “in frightening proximity” to becoming King and Queen, according to Brown.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Prince Harry Was Reportedly the Primary Beneficiary of This Late Royal’s Massive Fortune, and Received More Than Prince William for a Very Logical Reason
The amount of money at stake is steep.
By Rachel Burchfield Published