Royal Butler Reveals Queen Elizabeth’s Good Friday Meal

Queen Elizabeth in a bright blue hat smiling — (Image credit: Getty Images)

As any tourist to the U.K. knows, you can't beat some extra crispy fish and chips. And even though Queen Elizabeth had access to all of the finest cuisine in the world, even she couldn't resist some good old fried fish every once in a while, according to former royal butler Grant Harrold.

Posting on his Instagram account, Harrold, who worked for King Charles between 2004 and 2011, shared the late Queen's "Good Friday Feast Secret."

"Did you know her Majesty savored hake with perfectly rectangular chips (no batter overload!) on Good Friday at Windsor Castle," he wrote. Hake is a flaky white fish in the cod family with a similar mild flavor, and it's often used for fish and chips in the U.K. And even though Queen Elizabeth was happy to indulge in chips (fries), her "perfectly rectangular" request is rather royal indeed.

Queen Elizabeth in a turquoise coat taking flowers from two little boys — Queen Elizabeth is pictured on Easter 2019.

Queen Elizabeth in a yellow coat and hat talking to a bishop — Queen Elizabeth is pictured on Maundy Thursday in 2019.

Harrold noted that her meatless Good Friday meal was "a pious nod to her Church of England role before Easter sweets." And speaking of sweets, the former butler added that "hot cross buns were also served with afternoon tea."

Article continues below

As for the big Easter lunch itself, former royal chef Darren McGrady previously told OK! that the royals enjoy a rich meal after church. "We'd go straight into the main course—a traditional roast lamb with seasonal vegetable," he shared.

Along with lamb, the royals would tuck into "a compound salad served in a kidney dish attached to the plate," which consisted of "lettuce and cucumber with a little mint or some grated carrot and coriander."

And for dessert, McGrady said the Royal Family likes to enjoy chocolate easter eggs from luxury sweet maker Charbonnel et Walker, which were a favorite of Princess Diana.

Williams Sonoma

Charbonnel et Walker Chocolate Bunny Box with Pastel Eggs

TOPICS

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.