Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Modern Twinsets
    • October Books
    • 2026 Beauty Awards
    • 'Carrie'
    • Aritzia New Arrivals
    • Top-Handle Bags
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Royal Chef Reflects on the Unusual "Boob" Cake Princess Diana Ordered for Prince William's Birthday

    "She'd thought he'd find this funny. She loved embarrassing William."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 9 August 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Prince William and Princess Diana both wear blue rain coats and have similar dusty blond hair
    (Image credit: Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Princess Diana was known for her "naughty" sense of humor, and she often played pranks on her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Now, a royal chef is reflecting on one particularly cheeky gift Diana organized for the Prince of Wales's birthday one year, which was probably quite "embarrassing" for William.

    Speaking exclusively to Heart Bingo, Darren McGrady—a Royal Family chef for 15 years—explained, "When I moved to Princess Diana['s home], it was much more relaxed." Reflecting on the most unexpected item Princess Diana requested, McGrady explained, "I remember one of Prince William's birthday cakes. I came into work and opened my refrigerator and there was a large box in there. I opened it, wondering who was using my refrigerator, and there was a large pair of women's boobs."

    McGrady continued, "It was the cake Diana had bought for William. She'd thought he'd find this funny. She loved embarrassing William and it was a fantastic gift for him. He loved it, it went down really well."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William wearing suits on Harry's first day at Eton

    Princess Diana with her sons, Harry and William.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    During the same interview, McGrady reminisced about working with Princess Diana, including her approach to celebrating birthdays. "Princess Diana was a people pleaser," the former royal chef said. "She went out of her way for people. Whether it was buying a gift and wrapping it personally, and handing it over with a handwritten note—she always did that with birthday gifts. She did that with so many friends, including in the kitchen with me."

    In fact, Princess Diana always recognized McGrady's birthday, proving how kind she was to members of staff, as well as family members. "Every year on my birthday she would come through with a beautiful gift," McGrady recalled. "Usually it was a Hermès tie. It was really, really nice. I have about 7 of them. She was incredible like that, she always thought about friends."

    You may like
    • Princess Diana wears a black and white spotted shirt with baggy sleeves and has short blonde bouffant hair Princess Diana Sold Old Clothing to "Raise Spending Money"
    • Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis at their first day of school at Lambrook Prince William and Princess Kate’s “Hands-On” Birthday Party Plans Revealed By Fellow School Parents
    • Princess Diana wearing a red coat and black hat holding flowers Charles Spencer Says Diana Would've Loved How William Shook Up Tradition

    Darren McGrady, former royal chef

    Darren McGrady, Princess Diana's former royal chef.

    (Image credit: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Britweek)

    Unsurprisingly, Diana placed a lot of emphasis on Harry and William's birthdays, and ensuring she could prioritize them. "For the princess and the boys, birthdays were about spending time together," McGrady told the outlet. "She made sure that while they had the royal side with all the pomp and pageantry with Charles, they also got the 'normal' life with her." The chef continued, "That meant a Saturday night treat was sitting in front of the television eating hamburgers and chips. That was a special treat for them."

    Of course, it seems likely that William will never forget the unexpected "boob" cake Princess Diana once surprised him with.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Diana Prince William parenting Prince Harry
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Princess Diana wearing a red coat and black hat holding flowers
    Royals Charles Spencer Says Diana Would've Loved How William Shook Up Tradition
    By Kristin Contino
    Young Prince William has dark blonde hair and wears a suit, while posing with Queen Elizabeth II on Buckingham Palace balcony
    Royals Prince William Left Royal Staff "Frantic" and "Terrified"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Queen Elizabeth shaking hands with two chefs
    Royals Former Chef Reveals One Innocent Trick Staff Would Play on Queen Elizabeth
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Diana wearing a white suit and hat smiling at Prince Harry and Prince William, who are looking at a program
    Royals Princess Diana Asked One Unlikely Person for Parenting Advice
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince William and Carole Middleton attend Royal Ascot 2024 on June 19, 2024 in Ascot, England.
    Royals Princess Kate's Mother Was Prince William's 'Rock' When "Everything Was Falling Apart"
    Prince William and Princess Charlotte attend the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on August 1, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland.
    Royals Prince William Was Asked to Help a Little Girl Become Princess Charlotte’s New Pen Pal
     
     
    Prince William putting his hand on Princess Kate's back
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Lean on One "Solid" Family Member
    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit the Royal Children's Hospital on April 14, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia.
    Royals Harry and Meghan's First Joint U.K. Appearance Has a Connection to Their Past
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince William and Carole Middleton attend Royal Ascot 2024 on June 19, 2024 in Ascot, England.
    Royals Princess Kate's Mother Was Prince William's 'Rock' When "Everything Was Falling Apart"
    Prince William and Princess Charlotte attend the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on August 1, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland.
    Royals Prince William Was Asked to Help a Little Girl Become Princess Charlotte’s New Pen Pal
     
     
    Zoë Kravitz styled Ugg slippers with her signature purple scarf in NYC with Riley Keough
    Celebrity Style Zoë Kravitz Gives Her Beloved Ballet Flats an Overdue Day Off in Favor of $130 Ugg Slippers
    Prince William putting his hand on Princess Kate's back
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Lean on One "Solid" Family Member
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.