Princess Diana made a point of instilling Prince William and Prince Harry‘s royal childhoods with a sense of normalcy by taking them to places like McDonald’s, but one royal chef says it wasn’t for the fast food!
In a new interview with Heart Bingo, former royal chef Darren McGrady shared a story about Princess Diana’s reason for taking her sons to the American burger chain. McGrady worked for the royal household for 15 years in the 1980s and 1990s, starting with serving Queen Elizabeth from the Buckingham Palace kitchen before becoming Princess Diana’s private chef at Kensington Palace.
According to his website, McGrady coordinated what Princess Diana and her sons ate on a daily basis, and she seemingly surprised him by canceling a routine meal.
Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William in September 1995.
Anwar Hussein/WireImage
“One lunchtime, I was getting lunch ready and the Princess came in and said, ‘Cancel lunch today. I’m taking them out,’ ” the professional chef said. “I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ and she said, ‘McDonald’s.’ I said, ‘I can do burgers better than McDonald’s,’ and she said, ‘I know that, Darren, but they want the toys in the Happy Meal.’ ”
“They would get fast food sometimes, just like normal families with children,” McGrady explained.
He added that Diana and her sons would also stop by a Kensington restaurant Sticky Fingers, which was run by former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.
“They would go there a lot. Especially Harry — he always loved the barbecue ribs,” McGrady said.
Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry at Thorpe Park Amusement Park in April 1993.
Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty
McGrady worked for Princess Diana from 1993 until 1997, when she died following a car accident in Paris at age 36. Those years overlapped with William and Harry’s early adolescence, and the chef said the princes would come home from boarding school hungry.
“They came home on weekends from Ludgrove, and I prepared meals,”The Royal Chef at Home author told Heart Bingo.
“It changed from Princess Diana’s healthy eating — stuffed peppers, aubergine, vegetarian dishes — to nursery food. Wills and Harry loved cottage pie, pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, potato wedges, macaroni cheese.”
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Both William and Harry later got married and welcomed children of their own, following their late mother’s lead by prioritizing family time and relatable routines with their kids.
Last week, the Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, took their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, to Disneyland to celebrate Lilibet’s June 4 birthday, in a trip reminiscent of Diana’s Disney World excursion with William and Harry in 1993.