Much has been written about Princess Diana's alleged desire to raise sons Prince William and Prince Harry to experience what life was like "beyond the castle walls." Now, a former royal chef has opened up about the moment Diana canceled lunch at Kensington Palace to take Harry and William for fast food.
Speaking exclusively to Heart Bingo, Darren McGrady—a chef who worked with the Royal Family for 15 years—said, "One lunchtime, I was getting lunch ready and the princess came in and said, 'Cancel lunch today. I'm taking them out.' I asked, 'Where are you going?' and she said, 'McDonald's.'" At this point, McGrady apparently tried to intervene, telling Diana, "I can do burgers better than McDonald's." However, Diana had an extremely relatable reason for wanting to take her sons to the fast food chain.
Recalling the conversation, McGrady explained, "She said, 'I know that Darren, but they want the toys in the Happy Meal.'" Just like so many children, Prince William and Prince Harry were apparently eager to collect the surprise toys contained in the children's meal.
According to McGrady, McDonald's wasn't the only fast food vice Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William enjoyed. "They would get fast food sometimes, just like normal families with children," the former royal chef explained. "Bill Wyman had a restaurant called Sticky Fingers...They would go there a lot. Especially Harry—he always loved the barbecue ribs."
As for what the young princes would eat at home, McGrady elaborated, "They came home on weekends from Ludgrove, and I prepared meals. It changed from Princess Diana's healthy eating—stuffed peppers, aubergine, vegetarian dishes—to nursery food. Wills and Harry loved cottage pie, pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, potato wedges, macaroni cheese."
McGrady also revealed that Prince William had a penchant for sweet treats, saying, "William would walk into the kitchen and say, 'Darren, can I have some chocolate ice cream, please?' I'd say, 'Help yourself.' He'd grab Häagen-Dazs chocolate chip, that was his favorite, open it, and sit in the windowsill eating it. It was so much more relaxed over at Kensington."
