Princess Diana’s Former Chef Shares How Queen Elizabeth Would Indulge Prince William With One Treat By “Pressing a Button”
Darren McGrady recalls sweet memories from the kitchens at Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace.
Darren McGrady served as a chef to Queen Elizabeth before moving over to work for Princess Diana, and the former palace employee has shared the stark differences between the two households. Speaking to Heart Bingo, McGrady used the example of Prince William’s favorite ice cream to show how “relaxed” it was at Kensington Palace versus Buckingham Palace.
When William had a craving for ice cream, it was available to him at the press of a button at Buckingham Palace, McGrady shared, but it entailed a rather long wait.
“When I worked for The Queen, Prince William loved dark chocolate and asked for chocolate ice cream,” McGrady said. “The Queen would press a button, the page would come, she’d ask for the ice cream, and it triggered a long chain: head chef, pastry chef, silver pantry, glass pantry, linen room. Finally, 20 minutes later, William got his homemade ice cream presented to him.”
Prince William enjoys ice cream with Princess Kate in the town of Mumbles, Wales in February 2020.
Prince William is handed a tub of ice cream during a visit to the Queens Bay Lodge Care Home in 2021.
However, Diana ran a more casual kitchen environment. “At Kensington, it was much more relaxed,” McGrady said. “William would walk into the kitchen and say, ‘Darren, can I have some chocolate ice cream, please?’ I’d say, ‘Help yourself.’”
McGrady continued that William would “grab Haagen-Dazs chocolate chip, that was his favorite, open it, and sit in the windowsill eating it.” Princess Diana was also known to have a kitchen catch-up with Darren and the rest of the staff, often hanging out for snacks and gossip.
As for Queen Elizabeth, the former chef said that the late royal “had a sweet tooth and loved dark chocolate, especially anything over 60 percent cocoa,” adding, “Any dessert with chocolate on the menu was sure to be chosen.”
King Charles, on the other hand, isn't so much a cocoa fan. “Charles doesn’t like chocolate, and goes more for the fruit options,” McGrady revealed. “He would much rather have an orange olive oil tea cake or banana bread.”
