From royal banquets to presidential breakfasts, the favourite foods of world leaders offer a fascinating glimpse into their personalities, cultures and private lives. Here, we’ve rounded up the go-to meals of monarchs, presidents and prime ministers – past and present – from Henry VIII’s surprisingly wholesome indulgence and Kim Jong-Un’s unusual obsession to Meghan Markle’s guilty pleasure.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the favourite foods of royals and rulers, ranked to the most surprising of all.
Former British prime minister Winston Churchill favoured hearty British classics, according to his longtime chef and his daughter. A creature of comfort and routine, he enjoyed roast beef with Yorkshire puddings, boiled vegetables and a rich gravy on Sundays, just as many Brits still do today. He also savoured more elegant dishes, including clear broths, oysters, lobster, Dover sole and chocolate éclairs. A skilled raconteur, Churchill often used the dining table as a forum to debate ideas and influence others.
For someone who celebrated her 50th birthday in 2022, Spain’s Queen Letizia is proof that a balanced diet can help us stay fit and healthy at any age. She is said to follow the Perricone Diet, which emphasises 'inner wellbeing' and anti-inflammatory foods, according to Hello! magazine. Freshwater fish, such as grilled salmon, is a staple of the regime, as are fresh vegetables, berries, eggs, leafy greens, nuts, natural yogurt and olive oil – all of which, fortunately for Queen Letizia, are abundant in the Mediterranean.
According to his valet, Napoleon Bonaparte preferred simple meals, which he ate quickly – even when he wasn’t leading an army on the move. “He lacked much of eating decently; and always preferred his fingers to a fork or spoon,” the valet noted. Breakfast was often a thick vegetable soup, lentils or even roast chicken. In fact, roast chicken was a particular favourite, served to Napoleon everywhere from the Tuileries Palace in Paris to the Egyptian desert.
Like Napoleon, Prince William is a fan of roast chicken – the crispier, the better. Much like his father and grandmother, he seems to prefer comforting classics. While at university, he used to cook Princess Catherine spaghetti Bolognese, and he reportedly enjoyed lamb burgers and lasagne while stationed at RAF Valley on Anglesey. William is also known to indulge in pizza, as well as chicken from the fast food chain Nando’s. Breakfast is simple: two eggs with wholegrain toast and a cup of tea.
Born in 1869, Gandhi led the Indian Independence Movement against British rule and became famous for his commitment to peaceful protest. Although he was raised as a vegetarian, it wasn't until he studied law in London in the 1880s that he embraced the diet as an extension of his principle of nonviolence. Later, he even wrote a book on the importance of food, titled Diet and Diet Reform. Gandhi enjoyed traditional dal, rice and chapatis, as well as boiled radishes, beetroot and pumpkin. He would eat yogurt and milk-based desserts, but only if the milk was ethically sourced from local cows.
Back in 2020, King – then Prince – Charles shared one of his favourite brunch recipes on social media: cheesy baked eggs. A vocal advocate of seasonal, organic produce, the King also enjoys comforting classics like this, made with British cheese, spinach, cherry tomatoes and cream. Breakfast for Charles III usually consists of fresh fruit and muesli – and, while he rarely eats lunch, he'll tuck into a pheasant pie (another firm favourite) with foraged mushrooms for dinner.
As the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, Tenzin Gyatso has been spreading his message of compassion since he was recognised as the 14th Dalai Lama in 1939. While you might expect him to be vegetarian, his branch of Buddhism doesn't require it, so he eats meat a few times a week. He doesn't eat after midday, however. When he does eat, he enjoys tofu, cheese, bread, mushrooms, desserts and 'especially coriander', which he revealed during an appearance on Australian MasterChef in 2011.
While Abraham Lincoln laid on lavish spreads for White House guests, he was about as far from a foodie as you can get. “Abe can sit and think longer without food than any other person I have ever met,” a colleague once remarked. According to historian Suzy Evans, lunch was often nothing more than an apple, and supper could be forgotten altogether. When he did eat, he preferred simple dishes from his Kentucky childhood, such as cornmeal muffins and chicken fricassée, cut into small pieces and flavoured with nutmeg and mace.
President Trump enjoys cherry-vanilla ice cream, his sister’s homemade meatloaf and pizza toppings – he famously skips the dough – according to Us Weekly magazine. However, his real passion is fast food, particularly McDonald’s, and he's said to favour Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, Big Macs and Quarter Pounders with cheese. Beyond taste, he values the hygiene of the big chains. “I like cleanliness, and I think you’re better off going there than maybe some place that you have no idea where the food is coming from,” he told CNN in 2016.
As ruler of Austria-Hungary for more than 68 years, Emperor Franz Joseph could have summoned lavish feasts at a moment’s notice – but this wasn't his style. He ate very simply, sometimes subsisting on nothing more than rye bread and fermented milk. Since no one was permitted to eat once the Emperor had finished, the chef at Vienna’s famous Hotel Sacher created Viennese tafelspitz, slow-cooked beef simmered with herbs and vegetables, for courtiers who missed their meals. Somewhat ironically, the dish went on to become the Emperor’s favourite.
Princess Catherine adores rich, indulgent sticky toffee pudding, according to food critic Tom Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla’s son. She is also said to be fond of curry, which she makes for her family – although she adjusts the spice level to suit everyone. “I quite like it hot,” she mentioned during a royal outing in 2019. Prince William prefers his curries 'medium', while the children have theirs without spice, although young Princess Charlotte 'is pretty good with heat', apparently.
Xoliswa Ndoyiya was the South African president’s personal chef for 18 years, catering for family reunions and 'late-night political strategy sessions' alike, according to her book Ukutya Kwasekhaya: Tastes from Nelson Mandela’s Kitchen. She reveals that he loved comforting home-style meals, including oxtail stew, tripe and umngqusho, a traditional corn and bean dish – although he disliked oily food. Other recipes that brought joy to Mandela and his family included citrus pudding, orange turkey, and peanut butter and spinach soup.
After enduring a claustrophobic childhood in which her food was tightly restricted, Queen Victoria became an enthusiastic foodie as an adult. Her day often began with porridge, eggs, bread and smoked haddock, while dinner consisted of several courses. Above all, Victoria confessed to 'a great weakness for potatoes, which are cooked for her in every conceivable way', an anonymous servant wrote in 1901. She was also 'very fond of all kinds of pies', her favourite being cranberry tart with cream.
For a proponent of fresh, healthy food, it’s surprising to learn that one of Meghan Markle’s favourites is boxed mac and cheese. “I do really happen to love that boxed macaroni and cheese,” she revealed to lifestyle media platform EyeSwoon in 2015. “I now buy the Annie’s organic one if I’m craving it, but I throw some frozen peas into it and have this gooey, simple, childlike meal.” Of course, she also enjoys Californian fare, including açai bowls, green juices, chopped salads and grilled fish tacos.
Spain’s president has written about his love of traditional Spanish food, including salmorejo, a cold soup made with tomatoes, stale bread and olive oil, and topped with chopped egg and ham. Paella and fabada – a white bean, chorizo and pork belly stew – also feature on Sánchez’s list of favourites. When dining out, he's been spotted enjoying sushi, salami pizza and classic tapas. In 2019, he even flew by private helicopter to El Capricho, a renowned steakhouse in north-west Spain.
Growing up in East Germany, where food and other everyday products were often scarce, Angela Merkel developed a lifelong habit of hoarding. “I still buy something as soon as I see it, even when I don’t really need it. It’s a deep-seated habit,” she revealed to Superillu magazine in 2010. Merkel’s German Democratic Republic childhood also fostered a love of Eastern European flavours, including solyanka, a soup made from meat, pickles and olives, and letcho, a Hungarian sausage and vegetable stew.
When former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed palace kitchen secrets in 2022, he offered a fascinating insight into the late monarch’s culinary quirks. While not a foodie, Her Majesty loved smoked fish pâté, venison steak in a mushroom and whisky sauce, and halibut in a Mornay sauce. The Queen also had a sweet tooth for chocolate – specifically chocolate perfection pie, made from semi-sweet chocolate, egg yolks, double cream and cinnamon in a pastry case, topped with grated white and dark chocolate.
While Prince William and Prince Harry don’t see eye to eye these days, they do share a love of similar foods. Both enjoy roast chicken – Harry and Meghan were cooking one when he proposed in 2017. Former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed that, as children, the princes enjoyed British dishes like roast meat and cottage pie. “They loved banana flan, anything with banana really, banana ice cream,” McGrady told Hello! magazine. Harry still enjoys banana bakes to this day, according to food website Mashed.
Known as the Fairy Tale King, Ludwig II idolised King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King. Although he dined alone, King Ludwig’s table was set for five, allowing him to imagine sharing a meal with Louis XIV, Louis XV and their mistresses. At Linderhof Palace in southwest Bavaria, his table could be lowered through the floor and laden with food, ensuring the illusion remained uninterrupted by intrusive servants. The cuisine was, of course, elegant French fare made from Europe’s finest ingredients, ranging from English oysters to Latvian reindeer.
Most of us know by now that Marie Antoinette never actually said "Let them eat cake." But if that cake had been chocolate flavoured, she almost certainly would have devoured it herself. The French queen adored chocolate – so much so that she even brought her own chocolatier from Austria when she moved to France. She not only began her mornings with a thick, rich hot chocolate, but she even flavoured her medicines with chocolate to improve their taste, according to food website Tasting Table.
Kim Jong-Un lived and studied in Switzerland as a teenager. Alongside a love of basketball and branded tracksuits, North Korea’s infamous dictator reportedly developed a taste for Swiss cheese, particularly Emmental. Such is his passion for the mild, nutty-flavoured cheese that he is said to have fallen ill in 2017 after overindulging in Emmental and cognac. Reports suggest that he spends around $30 million (£22m) a year on gourmet food and drink, while 45% of his subjects suffer from malnutrition, according to the UN.
When America’s 40th president quit smoking in 1966, he turned to jellybeans, sparking a lifelong love. While in the White House, Reagan kept a standing order of 720 bags of Jelly Belly jellybeans, according to the Reagan Foundation. To celebrate his 1981 inauguration, he even ordered 3.9 tons (3.5 tonnes) of Very Cherry, Coconut and Blueberry–flavoured beans to create a patriotic mix of red, white and blue treats. Jars of jellybeans were often spotted at meetings with his cabinet and world leaders.
You probably associate Henry VIII with the 16th century’s most extravagant dishes – gilded swan, peacock adorned with magnificent plumage and even porpoise. And while it’s true that he indulged in an enormous spread that included beef shins, venison, veal, pheasant and much more, Henry VIII had a surprising fondness for fruit. His favourites included raw strawberries and cherries, as well as apples, plums and peaches served in pies, jellies and tarts, according to The Tudor Travel Guide website.
Now discover the surprising foods the British royal family won't eat