By Molly Claire Goddard
7:02am PDT, Sep 2, 2025
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Are the royals not allowed to eat seafood?
One former chef of the family set the record straight about rumors surrounding the late
Queen Elizabeth II's diet and what members of The Firm prefer when it comes their daily meals.
Keep reading to learn what the cook said about the allegation…MORE:
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According to the royal family's former chef
Darren McGrady — who worked for the family during the 1980s — revealed what Queen Elizabeth II and her relatives noshed on.
"The idea that the Queen didn't eat seafood while traveling isn't true. We regularly cooked scallops and shrimp for her," the food specialist noted in an interview with
Heart Bingo.
The speculation about their alleged aversion to shellfish comes after
Meghan Markle claimed during an episode of
With Love, Meghan, that
Prince Harry doesn't enjoy
lobster. Some have also argued that the royals avoid the particular dish in case of food poisoning.
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While shellfish was not ruled out for Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, there were certain ingredients Her Majesty did not enjoy. However, her husband, Prince Philip, loved the particular seasoning.
"When I worked for the family, garlic and strong onions were a big no-no," Darren McGrady recalled. "The late Queen came from the Victorian era, when garlic was anti-social because of the strong smell. Prince Philip, however, would have lots of garlic on his food. He didn't care!"
"When they ate burgers from the barbecue, they just had the regular condiments that we all have, such as ketchup and mayonnaise," he continued. "They also have French mustard, but definitely never yellow mustard. It was just a normal bottle of Heinz. On the table itself, even at breakfast, they didn't have condiments. So, there was no ketchup or brown sauce or anything."
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With many different taste buds to cater to, Darren McGrady learned what Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, now
King Charles III, as well as
Prince William and
Prince Harry, loved to eat.
"The late Queen had a deep appreciation for traditional British cuisine, especially when it featured locally sourced ingredients, but she also had a fondness for French food. So much so that menus were often written in French for her," the ex-staffer said. "King Charles III, on the other hand, preferred Italian food, particularly risottos and other staples of the Mediterranean diet. He also had a passion for wild mushrooms and often went foraging for them at Balmoral. We would freeze his finds to last through the year. As for Princes William and Harry, their tastes leaned more towards American classics. They loved burgers, fries, sticky ribs and barbecue. At the time, they couldn't get enough of American-style fast food."
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Fortunately for Darren McGrady, there is an organized system in place to decide what new cuisine Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the family want to try.
"We did a lot of experimenting with recipes. We would send new dishes up to the late Queen for her approval, and she would either accept or reject them," he said. "We also shared recipes with
Prince William and
Prince Harry's nannies. Everyone was eager to broaden their palates and try different foods, but the Queen tended to prefer sticking with familiar favorites. Introducing new items to her menu was always a challenge. If I had suggested something like kangaroo, I'm pretty sure she would have thrown the menu book at me!"
