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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jane Lavender

Queen eats bananas with a knife and fork - expert explains how she does it

She's the Head of State and Britain's longest reigning monarch, so it's not surprising the Queen's eating habits are far posher than most people's.

Her Majesty has the best chefs at her beck and call and entertains 50,000 people every year.

The annual food budget for the Queen is a whopping £1.6million and includes everything from State Dinners to what the royal family eat for breakfast.

And the Queen can be very particular about what she eats.

She will only drink Earl Grey tea, always served without milk and sugar, and is a big fan of eating seasonal produce.

The Queen is very particular about how she eats her bananas (Getty)

Former royal chef Darren McCrady joked: "If you served the Queen strawberries in January, you'd be sent to The Tower."

But when it comes fruit, espeically bananas, the Queen has some VERY strict rules.

Unlike the rest of us, Her Majesty refuses to peel and then eat a banana so she isn't seen gobbling food "like a monkey".

Instead she peels it with a knife and fork.

Confused? So were we until etiquette and civilty expert William Hanson explained exactly how you manage it.

Etiquette and civility expert, William Hanson, explains how you can try this at home (Channel 5)

He explained: "Holding the fork, cut off one end of the banana, then cut off the other end.

"Then you turn the knife on its side and cut into the skin to prise the banana open.

"Once this is done, you cut a little bit off and eat it."

Being strict about the way she eats bananas isn't the Queen's only food quirk.

She will never eat, or serve, garlic - even at formal occasions.

Although, she has good reasons behind this - it's because the royal family have to meet and greet so many people so never wants the smell of garlic on her breath.

The Queen will only drink earl Grey with no milk or sugar (Channel 5)

Shellfish is also a no go area as it's one of the foods most likely to cause food poisining.

However, there is one meal where the Queen proves she's more like the rest of us than ever imagined.

She might have her pick of lavish dining rooms in her royal palace but the monarch enjoys nothing more than a TV dinner.

Royal biographer Lady Colin Campbell explained: "She has her dinner off a tray looking at the television.

"She likes it. It's homely and cosy and it's comfortable."

The Queen doesn't want to "gobble bananas like a monkey" (Getty)

Before she sits down to her evening meal, the Queen enjoys her favourite tipple of gin and dubonnet at 7pm prompt.

While the Queen may not cook her own meals she keeps a careful eye on what's being served in the royal household.

Former royal chef Darren McCrady explained: "All food is overseen by the Queen.

"The chef prepares three days of menus, which will give us enough time to get all the produce, and these are given to Her Majesty."

The Queen then makes notes on the menu, crossing out dishes she doesn't want to eat and adding her own suggestions.

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