Queen Elizabeth Is a ‘Chocoholic’ But Don’t Touch Your Dessert Before She Does
Queen Elizabeth might have the sweetest tooth in the royal family. Her Majesty reportedly has a great fondness for chocolate, and her former butler has even called her a “chocoholic.” Although Queen Elizabeth enjoys a good dessert like anyone else, there are very strict table rules guests are supposed to follow whenever they dine with royalty – including who is allowed to eat first.
Inside the royal family’s etiquette rules for eating with Queen Elizabeth
Royal etiquette helps govern how Queen Elizabeth interacts with the public and other members of the royal family. Some of these rules are visible whenever the royals step out into public while others remain hidden behind closed doors.
Over the course of her 68-year reign, Queen Elizabeth has dined with countless political leaders, celebrities, and royalty from other countries. When it comes to dining room etiquette, all guests inside the palace are expected to follow whatever Queen Elizabeth does at the table.
One of the first rules her guests are expected to follow is making sure Queen Elizabeth is the first person seated. People also cannot eat until Her Majesty has started her meal and everyone is finished when she gets full.
Although most people strictly adhere to these rules, Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, once remembered a time when a young prince dove into his dessert before Her Majesty had a chance to start eating.
What happens when someone breaks royal protocol?
Burrell revealed that the incident happened when Queen Elizabeth was hosting a dinner on the Royal Yacht Britannia in the South Pacific. According to Express, a local prince was dining with Her Majesty and accidentally started serving himself before Queen Elizabeth had a chance to do anything.
“The prince forgot to watch what the Queen did – instead, he popped the grapes into his finger bowl, then some cherries, then when the cream and sugar came out, he poured them in too, making a kind of fruit soup,” he explained.
Burrell admitted that he looked horrified watching the entire scene unfold. The prince didn’t realize his mistake until he was about to eat the fruit bowl. Luckily, Her Majesty wasn’t offended and “took a sip” from her own bowl to make him feel less awkward.
Burrell didn’t say what Queen Elizabeth thought of the situation, but it sounds like she took it in stride.
A look at Queen Elizabeth’s diet
As far as Queen Elizabeth’s diet is concerned, one of her former chefs, Darren McGrady, once revealed that she isn’t very adventurous when it comes to food. Although McGrady says that Prince Philip “lives to eat,” he noted that Queen Elizabeth is more frugal with her diet.
For breakfast, Queen Elizabeth likes to start her day with a simple meal. After drinking a cup of Earl Grey tea, Her majesty usually has a bowl of cereal or some fruit. She switches things up sometimes and eats a plate of scrambled eggs with a side of smoked salmon.
Before diving into lunch, she likes to enjoy a small drink of gin and Dubonnet. She then keeps things light with veggies or grilled chicken, usually accompanied by a salad. Her favorite lunch is grilled Dover sole complete with a plate of spinach or zucchini.
Her Majesty also enjoys some high tea before dinner, which usually features small sandwiches. Her go-to sandwiches are cucumber and smoked salmon or raspberry jam cut into the shape of pennies.
For her last meal of the day, Elizabeth tends to favor meat for the main course – such as roast beef, lamb, or salmon – served in a sauce.
Her Majesty reportedly loves chocolate
While Queen Elizabeth usually sticks to her favorite staples throughout the day, McGrady stated that she likes to change her menu whenever she dines with her children.
When she eats with Prince Andrew, for instance, she usually orders “crème brulee with Sandringham oranges,” which is his favorite meal.
McGrady also revealed that Her Majesty has a major sweet tooth. Turns out chocolate is one of her favorite desserts and one of her favorites is chocolate perfection pie.
“She is absolutely a chocoholic,” he shared. “Anything we put on the menu that had chocolate on, she would choose, especially chocolate perfection pie.”
