The Princess of Wales Broke the Queen’s “Golden Rule” By Revealing This Private Detail

(Image credit: Getty)

published 29 January 2023

The Queen was genial, friendly, and gracious—but she was also deeply private. One personal detail she’d never reveal? Her favorite food, and for good reason: According to Gordon Rayner, former royal correspondent for The Telegraph (and per Hello), “as one of her staff told me, ‘If she said she had a favorite meal, she would never get served anything else,’” he says.

That’s true—if you knew Her late Majesty’s favorite dish was rotisserie chicken, for example, why would you ever want to serve her anything else at an official engagement? And, because of the repetition, it would quickly not become her favorite dish.

The royal family has quite a few rules around food, and, while the Queen never let us in on her favorite meal, the Princess of Wales has been open in the past about not only the dishes she prefers but also how much she enjoys cooking at home with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Kate broke the Queen’s golden food rule back in 2018 during her visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where she spoke to a four-year-old named Rafael Chana who was awaiting a heart transplant. Rafael revealed that he liked olives, to which Kate replied “I used to eat lots and lots of olives when I was little as well.” Rafael then asked if she liked pasta, and Kate said, “Charlotte likes pasta, too.”

Later, royal reporter Rebecca English posted on her Twitter page “The [Princess of Wales] revealed today that her daughter, Princess Charlotte, loves olives and she encourages both her and Prince George to cook with her.” (Depending on the time of year, Louis, who was born in April 2018, would have either not yet been born or been far too young to participate in the kitchen.)

That isn’t the only time Kate has opened up about her food preferences. While on a visit to Scotland with husband Prince William, she revealed her love for curry and spicy foods. After she was asked if she made curry at home, Kate replied “Yes. I love it.” William then laughed and added “She likes a bit of spice. I’m not too good with spice.”

And, though Her late Majesty wasn’t necessarily forthcoming with her food preferences, former royal chef Darren McGrady said, “the Queen is a total chocoholic,” according to Hello. “The chocolate biscuit cake is the only cake that goes up to the royal table every day until it has all gone—sometimes this means it following her to Windsor Castle for the weekend.”

He continued “I remember as a young chef traveling from Paddington to Windsor one Friday morning with a half-eaten chocolate biscuit cake packed neatly and tightly in a biscuit tin and wrapped in Clingfilm, perched on my knee with the fear of God in me that I would lose or drop the thing! It was her favorite. And when Prince William first tried it, he loved it and then requested it as his groom’s cake.”

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.