{"id":391815,"date":"2025-09-02T11:51:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T11:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/391815\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T11:51:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T11:51:19","slug":"a-taste-of-royalty-see-what-kate-meghan-and-more-ate-on-their-wedding-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/391815\/","title":{"rendered":"A taste of royalty: See what Kate, Meghan and more ate on their wedding days"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there anything like the splendour of a royal wedding<\/a>? We love seeing how these illustrious events have changed throughout history, honouring tradition while also adding some unique modern touches. And what better way to reminisce than through the iconic wedding menus featured at these unforgettable occasions?<\/p>\n

From traditional British<\/a> fare, like the decadent seafood dish favoured by many modern couples, to the postwar homegrown menu at Queen Elizabeth II<\/a>\u2019s big day, here\u2019s a sneak peek at the plates that have graced royal wedding tables through the ages.<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,\u00a9 Chris Jackson,Getty Images<\/p>\n

Guests at the couple’s reception enjoyed British seafood and decadent desserts<\/p>\n

Prince William and Kate Middleton<\/p>\n

Guests at the Prince<\/a> and Princess of Wales<\/a>\u2019s Buckingham Palace<\/a> reception in 2011 enjoyed<\/a> a three-course meal that showcased the best of British poultry, seafood, and produce. After a seafood course featuring English crab, Scottish salmon, and langoustines, guests dined on organic Scottish lamb served with Spring vegetables from then-Prince Charles\u2019 Highgrove estate. Lastly, guests could choose between Berkshire honey ice cream, sherry trifle, or chocolate parfait to conclude their delicious meal, accompanied by coffee or fresh mint tea.<\/p>\n

\"prince\u00a9 Photo: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Queen Elizabeth hosted the couple’s wedding, which skipped the traditional sit-down dinner<\/p>\n

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle<\/p>\n

Mark Flanagan, the head chef in charge of creating the\u00a0Duke<\/a> and\u00a0Duchess of Sussex<\/a>\u2019s wedding menu,\u00a0focused the couple\u2019s menu<\/a> around British produce from the Home Counties and\u00a0Windsor<\/a>, which came into season shortly before the pair married in May 2018. Hosted by the Queen, the guests first dined on canap\u00e9s like grilled English asparagus wrapped in Cumbrian ham and Scottish langoustines wrapped in smoked salmon with citrus cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche. The Sussexes then incorporated casual elegance into their reception with a selection of bowl food that could be eaten standing up, such as pea and mint risotto, truffle oil and parmesan crisps, and ten-hour slow-roasted Windsor pork belly with apple compote and crackling.<\/p>\n

\"Princess\u00a9 Getty Images<\/p>\n

Queen Elizabeth’s wedding featured her all-time favourite dessert<\/p>\n

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip<\/p>\n

With Queen Elizabeth II and\u00a0Prince Phillip<\/a>\u2019s wedding taking place in 1947, the couple had a more modest menu that still honoured British traditional fare. In the Ball Supper Room at Buckingham Palace, guests enjoyed a starter of sole, followed by a main course of partridge casserole with green beans and potatoes. Guests ended the meal with Bombe Glac\u00e9e Princess Elizabeth, an homage to the then-princess\u2019\u00a0favourite dessert<\/a>, featuring strawberries grown in the greenhouses at Windsor Castle.<\/p>\n

\"princess\u00a9 Benjamin Wheeler<\/p>\n

Beatrice’s COVID-compliant wedding was still a royal affair<\/p>\n

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi<\/p>\n

Princess Beatrice<\/a> and\u00a0Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi<\/a> opted for a more intimate outdoor wedding in the grounds of Windsor Castle in 2020, in accordance with government guidelines around COVID-19. The couple\u2019s wedding menu still offered unmistakable royal decadence, featuring cured sea trout with capers, dill, and lemon, and a chorizo and ricotta salad with toasted quinoa and fillet steak.\u00a0Their caterers<\/a> also served a selection of canap\u00e9s to their 14 guests, along with fine wines and champagne.<\/p>\n

\"WINDSOR,\u00a9 Getty<\/p>\n

Eugenie and Jack’s wedding menu was inspired by their global love story <\/p>\n

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank<\/p>\n

Princess Eugenie<\/a> and Jack Brooksbank<\/a> took guests on a culinary trip around the world in 2018, serving special dishes<\/a> from their travels that had special significance for them. Guests dined on Argentine beef in memory of Eugenie\u2019s grandmother, Susan Barrantes, rice dishes from Nicaragua, where Jack proposed, and mini hamburgers from the United States, where the art gallery Eugenie directs, Hauser & Wirth, is based.<\/p>\n

Guests were also served Swiss cr\u00eapes to represent Verbier, the ski resort town in the Alps where Eugenie and Jack first met. Rounding off this beautifully thought-out menu was the couple\u2019s wedding cake, adorned with autumnal leaves crafted from sugar, in homage to Ivy Cottage, their first home together at\u00a0Kensington Palace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"WINDSOR,\u00a9 Getty<\/p>\n

The wedding was planned by the Queen’s cousin, the late Lady Elizabeth Shakerley<\/p>\n

\u200b Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston<\/p>\n

For the reception of Lady Gabriella Windsor<\/a> and the late Thomas Kingston in 2019, catering was organised by the Queen\u2019s cousin, the late Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, a skilled party planner who has run the company Party Planners since 1960. Like the Sussexes, the couple opted to forgo a sit-down meal<\/a>, opting for a selection of light dishes and canap\u00e9s that guests enjoyed in the grand surroundings of Frogmore House. Guests were also served Bollinger champagne, which has held a Royal Warrant continuously since first awarded by Queen Victoria<\/a> in 1884.<\/p>\n

The couple\u2019s wedding cake was created by Fiona Cairns, who also made the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge\u2019s cake, and featured three tiers of fruit cake, Victoria sponge, and lemon Limoncello sponge.<\/p>\n

\"EDINBURGH,\u00a9 Getty<\/p>\n

Zara and Mike’s wedding was a stunning Scottish affair<\/p>\n

Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall<\/p>\n

With their reception taking place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in 2011, Zara Phillips<\/a> and Mike Tindall<\/a> chose to incorporate the finest Scottish specialities into their wedding menu. Guests were served a crayfish cocktail starter, followed by a dish of locally grown venison. The meal was then rounded off with a dessert of chocolate fondant and strawberries<\/p>\n

\"WINDSOR,\u00a9 Getty Images<\/p>\n

The current King and Queen had a classic British afternoon tea for their wedding feast<\/p>\n

King Charles and Queen Camilla<\/p>\n

At their low-key reception in Windsor in 2005, King Charles<\/a> and Queen Camilla<\/a> opted for a lighter option as opposed to a classic three-course meal, instead serving guests a classic British afternoon tea. The menu featured traditional favourites like smoked salmon, potted shrimp or roast venison sandwiches, alongside miniature scones with clotted cream and jam, glazed fudge and strawberry tartlets.<\/p>\n

\"WINDSOR,\u00a9 Getty<\/p>\n

The couple opted for a buffet-style reception with a range of delicious dishes<\/p>\n

Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex<\/p>\n

At their wedding in 1999, Prince Edward<\/a> and Sophie, Countess of Wessex,<\/a> changed up the traditional sit-down affair by opting for a buffet-style reception. Inside the beautiful St George\u2019s Hall, guests could pick from dishes like<\/a> coulibiac (smoked haddock baked with rice and mushrooms in pastry), salmon en croute with spinach and pilaf rice, or beef stroganoff, accompanied by a selection of salads. Fresh raspberries and cream were then served for dessert.<\/p>\n

\"Diana,\u00a9 WireImage<\/p>\n

Charles and Diana has a classic French-inspired menu<\/p>\n

King Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales<\/p>\n

At their 1981 nuptials, King Charles and Princess Diana<\/a> served a French-inspired menu<\/a>, featuring a selection of classic decadent dishes made with British ingredients. Guests enjoyed brill doused with lobster sauce for their main courses, and Supr\u00eame de Volaille Princess de Galles, a chicken breast stuffed with lamb mousse, created in honour of the Princess of Wales. Alongside a selection of sides like butter beans, cream of corn, and new potatoes, guests were also served the quintessentially royal strawberries and clotted cream for dessert.<\/p>\n

\"Princess\u00a9 Getty<\/p>\n

Princess Anne’s wedding dessert was the product of a special competition<\/p>\n

\u200b Princess Anne and Mark Phillips<\/p>\n

Princess Anne<\/a> and Mark Phillips\u2019 wedding menu proved to be a\u00a0unique affair<\/a>; guests began the meal with lobster, followed by a dish of partridge on a bed of peas, an homage to Anne\u2019s love of game and the exact meal served on her mother\u2019s wedding day. For a refreshing dessert, guests tucked into Mint Royale ice cream, which was created as part of a special competition leading up to the royal wedding and later became a staple in dessert parlours nationwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is there anything like the splendour of a royal wedding? We love seeing how these illustrious events have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[7709,7714,7713,1203,533,1281,447,2832,532,2831,7710,519,7796,9321,7711,672,7712],"class_list":{"0":"post-391815","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-british-royal-family","9":"tag-catherine","10":"tag-catherine-middleton","11":"tag-food","12":"tag-kate-middleton","13":"tag-meghan-markle","14":"tag-prince-harry","15":"tag-prince-of-wales","16":"tag-prince-william","17":"tag-princess-of-wales","18":"tag-royal-families","19":"tag-royal-family","20":"tag-royalty","21":"tag-the-princess-of-wales","22":"tag-uk-royal-family","23":"tag-weddings","24":"tag-william"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115134562095573276","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}