While the British royal family has always been known for elaborate banquets and extravagant afternoon teas, there are some foods and drinks you won't ever catch them indulging in. Whether it’s due to protocol, personal preference or avoiding food poisoning, these are the foods you'll never find on a royal menu.
Click or scroll our gallery to discover the foods and drinks you won't find King Charles III or any of the royal family trying, counting down to the most avoided of all.
We've based our ranking on the reported foods and drinks the royal family avoid the most, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
Queen Elizabeth II may have been partial to a chocolatey dessert, but according to former royal kitchen manager Graham Tinsley MBE, her son King Charles III is quite the opposite. In fact, he's said to dislike it entirely. The royal chefs make sure they consider all of the King’s food likes and dislikes when creating menus for him.
King Charles III is particular when it comes to eggs; his breakfast egg must be boiled for three to four minutes to guarantee a perfectly runny yolk. It has been claimed that the King's cooks prepare seven eggs for him each morning, of which he eats only one, but his Majesty has debunked this myth as he despises food waste. Instead, chefs have devised ways to cook the King's eggs with exacting precision – which may involve security personnel radioing the kitchen with his ETA.
Influenced by Victorian etiquette, there were certain foods Queen Elizabeth II wouldn’t indulge in – and this was certainly the case when it came to those that involved eating with the hands. According to these old-fashioned rules, aside from afternoon tea, all foods must be eaten using cutlery, including burgers – and even bananas. Instead of biting into a banana whole, she would peel and slice it with a knife and fork.
Offal does tend to be a food people love or hate. Queen Consort Camilla falls into the latter category. She revealed in an interview with You magazine that she isn’t a fan, unless it’s a very good liver. Kate Middleton is apparently the exact opposite, revealing in an interview that she loves kidneys.
There are few greater pleasures than toasting marshmallows around a campfire, but that isn’t the case for one royal. In 2017, Prince Harry revealed that he had never, in fact, toasted a marshmallow, as he finds them too sweet for his taste buds. They’re also incredibly sticky and require hands to be involved so that might also have something to do with it.
It’s hard to imagine never devouring a pizza oozing with melty mozzarella – and yet, former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed Queen Elizabeth II never ate pizza. “In the years that I cooked at [Buckingham] palace, the Queen never had pizza,” he told American magazine Us Weekly. He worked as a chef for the royal family for 15 years and never once saw her indulge in a slice. Princes William and Harry, however, loved the stuff and would request it regularly growing up.
Known for their slightly sweet, mild flavour, bell peppers form the base of many dishes, from smoky fajitas to stir-fries – and yet, it’s an ingredient you won’t find Queen Consort Camilla eating any of. In an interview with You magazine about her favourite foods, the royal revealed that she “can’t bear peppers, raw or cooked".
While a bowl of pasta coated in tomato sauce might be a favourite for many, you wouldn't find it on menus during Queen Elizabeth II's reign. It was reported in 2000 that the Queen requested a tomato sauce–free menu during a trip to Italy (if you've ever eaten tomato pasta while wearing a white shirt, you'll understand).
Brits are known to take their biscuits very seriously – and King Charles III is no different. A connoisseur of the sweet delicacy, he even went as far as founding the brand Duchy Originals, known for its oaty biscuits, in 1990. A royal source confirmed that he's rather particular about how his biscuits are served and will only eat biscuits that have been warmed to an exact temperature – anything other than this, and he won't eat them.
The late Queen preferred brown eggs over white, according to British newspaper The Guardian. The colour of eggs is determined by the breed of hen that lays them, whereas the flavour has more to do with the hen's environment and diet. Brown eggs tend to be more expensive because of the quality of the food the hens are given.
According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t a pasta fan in the evening, and she tended to avoid it altogether, along with other carbs like potatoes and rice. Instead, she preferred fish or game with roasted vegetables for dinner, plus some fruit for pudding. The late Queen only indulged in potatoes, rice and pasta during state banquets or on special occasions.
Swan used to be a delicacy at banquets and feasts, which likely contributed to a decline in the waterbird's population. Of course, it’s now illegal to eat them. However, ancient law decrees that all swans in the UK belong to the monarch, so King Charles III is technically exempt from this rule. If he wished to dine on a swan, he could – but it’s highly unlikely that he would.
Once called ‘Britain’s best known organic farmer’ by The Guardian, King Charles III champions organic food and takes immense pride in his environmentally conscious eating habits. The King previously stated that he doesn’t eat meat from factory farms, and he’s even been known to take his organic food with him on tours overseas. If you ever get an invite to the palace, expect the finest quality organic produce.
If you’re not used to having spicy food, it could easily upset your stomach, which is something the royals try to avoid. Prince William has also revealed in an interview that he’s no good at handling spice, saying: "I'm not a vindaloo man, put it that way." However, the Princess of Wales is known to be fond of spicy curries.
Another crowd-dividing food that’s off the menu in Buckingham Palace is oysters. The royal family tend to avoid the seawater molluscs due to the risk of food poisoning. Royal footman Charles Oliver confirmed in his book Dinner at Buckingham Palace that Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip disliked them, too. As the food is commonly eaten raw and with the hands, oysters break several of the late Queen’s food rules.
The royals are advised to steer clear of foods that may give them an upset stomach or that they may dislike, to avoid inadvertently offending their hosts. There have, of course, been exceptions to this rule – but the palace always briefs its hosts on these conditions to avoid any potential issues. The BBC once reported that Queen Elizabeth II avoided any food that was 'too spicy or exotic' during her travels.
Given King Charles III’s passion for animal welfare and organic farming, it comes as no surprise that this controversial goose liver pâté has no place in the royal kitchens. Due to concerns regarding animal cruelty, the production of foie gras is illegal in the UK, though it can be imported. In 2008, the then Prince Charles even went as far as banning it from being served in all royal residences.
No steak tartare for the royals! The family tends to stay away from foods that are more likely to cause food poisoning, including raw meat, during official royal visits. Cooking meat thoroughly is one of the best ways to eliminate bacteria. To every chef’s dismay, Queen Elizabeth II apparently liked her steaks and roast beef well-done.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed that the late Queen was insistent that all fruit and vegetables served from the royal kitchens should be in season, as part of the royal family's sustainable approach to eating. "You can send strawberries every day to the Queen during summer at Balmoral and she’ll never say a word,” McGrady said in an interview with RecipesPlus. “Try including strawberries on the menu in January, and she’ll scrub out the line and say don’t dare send me genetically modified strawberries.”
While the royal family love an extravagant afternoon tea, you won’t find just any shape of sandwiches being served in Buckingham Palace. This is due to an age-old superstition that says anyone presenting the royal family with square, pointed-edged food was trying to overthrow the throne of England, as former royal chef Graham Newbould explained in a Channel 5 TV documentary, Secrets of the Royal Kitchen. Instead, you’ll find the royals delighting in rectangular sandwiches, usually with the crusts taken off.
Similar to other pungent foods, onions are largely never eaten by royals due to their strong smell and taste. Former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed in an interview with Heart Bingo that the allium was rarely used in royal kitchens during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. It was, however, used in small quantities, but never in a way that it could be tasted – and it certainly wasn’t ever served raw.
Still, sparkling or tap? The royals are known to drink only British bottled water, whether they’re travelling across the world on official trips or staying at home. The main reason is to ensure the water is safe to drink, avoiding any potential illnesses while aboard. The preferred bottle of choice is Hildon Natural Mineral Water, which is so popular with the family that it’s received a Royal Warrant.
Given the frequency of the royals’ official visits, it makes sense that they tend to steer clear of indulging in seafood and shellfish when travelling. There have been certain occasions where this rule has been broken, but a former butler of King Charles III revealed that seafood is generally avoided due to the potential for food poisoning.
During an appearance on MasterChef Australia, Camilla (then Duchess of Cornwall) revealed that garlic is another no-go for members of the royal family – apparently, having garlicky breath is unacceptable when in polite company. Former royal chef Darren McGrady confirmed this, saying that Queen Elizabeth II disliked the pungent ingredient and would never have it on the menu.
Now discover the foods the royal family really DO eat
Last updated by Lottie Woodrow.