The hidden difference between Princess Diana’s food and her guests’ revealed by former royal chef

Diana, Princess of Wales, visits a school in Yaoundé, Cameroon, March 1990
(Image credit: Photo by Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)

Former royal chef Darren McGrady claimed that Princess Diana would have a slightly different version of whatever her guests were eating, though no-one would ever have been able to tell. 

Chef Darren McGrady is no stranger to cooking for royalty, having worked in the Buckingham Palace kitchens for 11 years. He then moved on to become personal chef to Princess Diana and Prince William, and Prince Harry for four years. Throughout this exciting time, he not only got to delight William and Harry with a special dessert request during their childhood but also cooked meals for their mother.

And it seems that when it comes to the late Princess of Wales’ food, there is one particular difference she preferred compared to her guests’ meals - though it wasn’t easy to tell.

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As reported by The Mirror, Darren previously revealed to the publication a little-known secret about the late Princess Diana’s food choices. He claimed that she would often have a fat-free version of whatever her guests were eating. Darren stated that he would have to “revamp” the menu to cut out fats, but that “no one would know the difference”. 

When it comes to her favourite foods, the former royal chef suggested that Princess Diana loved eating fish, though she never ate red meat and is said to have avoided meals with mayonnaise or sour cream in them. 

Princess Diana, Princess of Wales with her sons Prince William and Prince Harry attend the Heads of State VE Remembrance Service in Hyde Park on May 7, 1995 in London, England

And it’s not just Princess Diana’s personal food preferences that Darren has been open about. In a past interview with MarieClaire.com, he also claimed that Diana once canceled lunch for William and Harry and took them to McDonald’s instead. 

"I remember the Princess came into the kitchen one day and said, 'Cancel lunch for the boys I'm taking them out, we're going to McDonald's”, he said. “And I said, 'Oh my god your royal highness, I can do that, I can do burgers.' And she said, 'No, it's the toy they want.' Yeah, the boys loved McDonald's, and going out to pizza, and having potato skins—sort of the American foods. They were royal princes but had children's palates."

Who could’ve imagined that? 

Emma Shacklock
Senior Lifestyle Writer

Emma is a Senior Lifestyle Writer with six years of experience working in digital publishing, ranging from book publishing to magazines. She currently looks after all things Lifestyle for Woman&Home, Goodto.com, and My Imperfect Life.