12 Eating Habits of the Royals That Made Us Raise Our Eyebrows Once or Twice

Although the Royal Family members are human beings just like us, they follow certain eating rules that might sound uncanny to the rest of the world. For example, a banana is not peeled as we would normally do, and, if somebody’s hungry, that’s not a good enough reason to start eating. There is an order to be respected.

Bright Side was curious about what other distinctive meal customs the British royals have and put together a list for you of 12 practices. The bonus at the end from another royal will make you say “Them too?”

1. The Queen eats her burger without a bun.

Whenever it was burger time, the Queen would serve it with a fork and a knife, so the bun was out. According to her former chef, the only thing that needed to be picked up and eaten with the fingers was afternoon tea, in her Majesty’s opinion.

2. Shellfish are a no-go.

Shellfish are tricky. They can make you sick in no time as they are known for causing food poisoning quite fast. So the members of the Royal family are advised to avoid them. Nevertheless, Prince William admitted that he and Kate Middleton enjoy sushi.

3. No garlic in any food

Queen Elizabeth is not a fan of garlic at all, mostly because of the smell. So she asked that it not be consumed, nor used in the foods served at Buckingham Palace. This fact was confirmed by an ex-chef of the Royal family, but also by Camilla Parker-Bowles at MasterChef Australia.

4. When it’s dinner time, no carbs.

When she dines alone, Queen Elizabeth has a very strict rule: she does not want to see potatoes, pasta, or rice on her plate. Instead of these starches, she prefers fish or chicken with in-season vegetables.

5. No one eats before the Queen.

Whoever is eating at the same table with Her Majesty needs to pay attention to the moment she starts eating until she stops eating. She must be the first one to start the meal, and once she stops, everybody who is dining needs to stop as well. It doesn’t matter whether they’ve finished their meal or not.

6. The Queen doesn’t peel bananas.

Even if we all peel a banana to eat it, the Queen has rather a different way of eating one. Firstly, she uses a fork and a knife to cut the top and the bottom off. After that, she cuts the peel from one end to the other and lifts it off. Then, she cuts it into small pieces lengthwise and savors it with a fork.

7. Wherever the Queen is, there is also chocolate biscuit cake.

Her majesty has a guilty pleasure: she is used to eating a slice of chocolate biscuit cake every day, so whenever she has to travel, this sweet treat comes with her, according to her former royal chef.

8. No lunch for Prince Charles

Prince Charles only eats twice a day: breakfast and dinner, which are the main meals of the day. He doesn’t do lunch, so indirectly nor does his staff whenever he has to undergo tours or visits.

9. The Queen enjoys eating fruit from Tupperware.

Not all food is served on gold or diamond-encrusted plates from the royal kitchen. According to the Queen’s former private chef, she would eat fruit from a plastic yellow Tupperware container.

10. Any leftovers are reused.

There is no wasting of food at Buckingham Palace. The Queen instructed her staff to reuse all the uneaten servings rather than throwing out the leftovers.

11. Harry and William loved fast food, especially McDonald’s.

When they were kids, Prince William and Prince Harry were fans of burgers and French fries, and they would sometimes go out to eat fast food, especially McDonald’s.

12. Princess Diana was not a fan of red meat.

No pork or beef for Princess Diana. Lady Di used to avoid these foods, and she would only eat lamb on special occasions, according to Darren McGrady, who was Princess Diana’s private chef.

Bonus: Queen Letizia of Spain, 3-egg omelet for breakfast

Known for her slim figure, the Queen of Spain is said to follow the Perricone diet, so she eats things like salmon, forest fruit, green vegetables, and olive oil on a daily basis. She reveals that she likes to have a 3-egg omelet for breakfast because it helps her keep her skin healthy.

Were you surprised by any of the unusual eating habits that the Royal Family has? Are you thinking of “borrowing” any of them for your next dinner?