Prince William and Prince Harry’s former employee reveals mishaps behind the scenes
Prince William and Prince Harry may not be on “speaking terms” right now following their ongoing feud but when they were younger, they were much united over their favourite food which they would have “every time they came home” to Kensington Palace, according to their former chef.
The food in question – British classic cottage pie – would always be prepared at home when the two young princes would return, according to Darren McGrady.
Chef McGrady served as a royal chef for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Princess Diana, Prince William, and Prince Harry for 15 years.
In a YouTube video for Delish in 2020, the chef explained how Harry and William would always be in the kitchen “all the time”.
He said: “Whether it was to find out what was for lunch, or to just play hide and seek or to just come through and chat
Prince William’s aubergine disaster
But he also mentioned the royal siblings’s more “mischievous” nature when it came to the kitchen.
He revealed: “Sometimes they’d want to come through and cook. That was always a worrying experience but it was always fun having the boys in the kitchen. And although it was a royal palace, they were royal children and just like normal children, they were running around the house, having fun.”
Mr Grady said that when Harry and William were bored they’d come and ask him if they could cook too.
He said: “One day I was making stuffed eggplant for Princess Diana and William says ‘Oh can I make that?’ I lifted it out of the oven, put it on the table and he lifted it onto the plate. Just as he did, Princess Diana walked into the kitchen and he just twisted it like that and it just collapsed onto the plate. It was like a train smash.”
The former royal staffer also said that when the boys stayed with Diana at Kensginton Palce, she would let them eat dinner and watch TV on a Saturday night.
He said: “She [Princess Diana] wanted them to be royal princes but at the same time, she wanted them to be children too
chef revealed that the princes ate a variety of foods like roast chicken and vegetables, cottage pie, and other normal foods like burgers and hot dogs and their nanny would always “battle” with Diana about the young royals eating their greens, as their late mother was allegedly more relaxed about them not eating them.
Mr Grady also revealed how Princess Diana once told him of how different her two sons are.
He claimed she told him: “William’s deep like his father, and Harry’s just an airhead, like me.”
Prince Philip witnessed a kitchen disaster
The royal chef once revealed another disaster which took place in the kitchen but this time it happened in the presence of the late Prince Philip.
He told the Business Insider: “Another time I was in the kitchen with a pastry chef, and the Duke of Edinburgh came in and he wanted to know what ice creams we had made using the berries from the Balmoral gardens.
“And my friend opened the freezer and one of the handles broke, it just went spinning around like a Catherine wheel.
“But the chef said Philip was not angry and “burst out laughing” instead, adding: “he had a great sense of humour.”
Prince Philip was addressed the wrong way by royal chef
Mr McGrady previously revealed that there was another incident involving kitchen staff and the late Duke of Edinburgh.
He claimed another royal chef called Philip “Your Majesty” a title that was only used for the late Queen.
He explained: “I was in the kitchen and Prince Philip came in.
“We had a new chef in, who was really nervous, and he said ‘Good morning, Your Majesty.’
“Prince Philip just sort of looked and smiled. The great thing about the royal family is they know people are nervous around them, so it’s not as if they would roll their eyes and say ‘you’re stupid.
Royal chef got chased by corgis during first meeting with late Queen
In another YouTube video, Mr McGrady revealed the first encounter he had with Queen Elizabeth, which was interrupted by her corgis.
He also said he initially worked in the palace kitchens by preparing menus and dog food for the late monarch’s beloved pets.
The chef said: “I remember the first time I met the Queen and the corgis, I was at Balmoral Castle, having a walk at the side of the river.
“I saw in the distance the Queen and the corgis, and I got really excited. The Queen was walking towards me and I thought, ‘this is gonna be really cool, I get to meet the Queen for the first time.’
“As she got closer, the dogs saw me, came running towards me, barking like crazy, all of them.
“I was so scared I turned around and ran away. The Queen was laughing, she thought it was really funny.
Royal chef got chased by corgis during first meeting with late Queen
In another YouTube video, Mr McGrady revealed the first encounter he had with Queen Elizabeth, which was interrupted by her corgis.
He also said he initially worked in the palace kitchens by preparing menus and dog food for the late monarch’s beloved pets.
The chef said: “I remember the first time I met the Queen and the corgis, I was at Balmoral Castle, having a walk at the side of the river.
“I saw in the distance the Queen and the corgis, and I got really excited. The Queen was walking towards me and I thought, ‘this is gonna be really cool, I get to meet the Queen for the first time.’
“As she got closer, the dogs saw me, came running towards me, barking like crazy, all of them.
“I was so scared I turned around and ran away. The Queen was laughing, she thought it was really funny.
Queen Elizabeth’s awkward silence after being told by close aide her outfit didn’t suit her
In her book The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, The Dresser and the Wardrobe, Elizabeth’s former dresser Angela Kelly recalled the moment she told the late monarch the outfit she wore did not suit her.
She wrote: “I vividly remember one fitting where The Queen was draped in a very large piece of bold, jacquard material in a large print.
“Even a six-foot-tall model would have struggled to pull off something like that, and it absolutely drowned Her Majesty.
“Once again, I could not hide my disapproval when Her Majesty asked my thoughts. Without hesitation, I said, ‘No way! It doesn’t suit you at all and it is totally the wrong pattern.
Ms Kelly said that after the awkwardness of the situation, Elizabeth agreed after hearing her late husband’s opinion.
She wrote: “The Duke of Edinburgh happened to walk past and Her Majesty asked what he thought of the material, knowing that, like mine, his feedback is always honest. ‘Is that the new material for the sofa?’ he joked, before continuing on his way.
