Chocolate cake and a cheeky Nando's: Surprising foods the Royal Family loves

The Royal Family may have chefs and butlers at their beck and call, but sometimes, there’s nothing better than a cheeky Nando’s.

While you probably won’t spot a Deliveroo driver knocking on the door of Buckingham Palace, the royals have revealed some of their guilty pleasures over the years.

They have to eat all sorts when they are on engagements, but this is what the royals choose for themselves when they’re at home.

Princes William and Harry love a Nando’s

William confessed to his love for peri-peri chicken in a documentary for the BBC on 28 May, but it’s not the first time he has revealed his guilty pleasure.

The 37-year-old toured the UK speaking to footballers and football fans for his documentary and was pleased when he found out Jamo, from South Wales, worked at the chicken chain.

After being asked if he was a fan of Nando’s he said: “I like Nando’s — everyone likes a Nando’s.”

Discussing when he last visited the South African restaurant, he said: “It was a while ago now.

“In fact, the policeman who’s on with me again, he’s the one who gets me the Nando’s the whole time. It’s his fault.”

The officer has previously been blamed for the prince’s love of chicken. In 2018, William met the co-founder of the chain, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

He immediately pointed out his protection officer and said: “This man here is your biggest fan.

“He introduced me to Nando’s, it’s very good, he should buy a stake in Nando’s.”

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Prince Harry has also been spotted waiting for Nando’s, but there was some criticism over his order - as he went for lemon and herb.

According to the Mirror, he ordered a pitta with extra cheese and a side of creamy mash, along with a double chicken wrap with chips.

Duchess of Cambridge loves Indian food

When Kate and William appeared on BBC Radio 1 a couple of years ago, they said they love ordering a takeaway.

But they don’t appear to fancy the same things, with Kate saying she prefers an Indian curry, but William admitting “I'm not good at spice”.

In the same interview she mentioned seeing Ellie Goulding perform live at one of the station’s big weekends. Referring to her as “Ellie”, the couple asked her to play at their wedding the following year.

Duchess of Sussex loves red wine and chips

Before she was a royal, Meghan Markle had a blog called The Tig, which was named after her favourite red wine, Tignanello, so she was definitely a fan of a tipple.

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She told Delish she would even have wine instead of dessert, adding: “French fries and vino are my vices.”

And she loves chips too. Speaking about when she had time off and didn’t have to be so strict with food choices, she said: “I'm always hoping I'm having lunch with people, so we can share fries. It's its own food group for me.”

Prince Philip loves salmon

Former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed one of the Duke of Edinburgh’s favourite recipes earlier this year, and it sounds very regal.

Salmon coulibiac is a Russian dish where the fish is layered with vegetables inside puff pastry.

The Queen has a reputation for having tamer tastebuds, so McGrady says it was when she was away that Philip could enjoy a wider variety of foods.

The Queen is a chocoholic

Speaking about the Queen, McGrady told Hello earlier this year: “She is absolutely a chocoholic.

“Anything we put on the menu that had chocolate on, she would choose, especially chocolate perfection pie.”

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He’s also previously mentioned a chocolate birthday cake she loves, and a chocolate biscuit cake which is nearly always available for her.

It’s clearly been passed on too, as William is also said to love the biscuit cake.

McGrady confirmed he used to make Nanaimo bars - a Canadian chocolate treat - for William and Harry - which Harry asked to take home from the Canadian embassy after a visit in January.

Prince Charles loves cheesy eggs

The Duke of Cornwall recently shared one of his favourite brunch recipes, as he celebrated British cheese week.

The recipe for cheesy baked eggs involved two different kinds of cheese, as well as double cream, spinach and tomatoes, as well of course as an egg.

It is definitely a luxurious recipe, fit for a future king.

The Cambridge kids love pizza and pasta

From what William and Kate have told us about their kids, they are raising Italian-loving children.

During a visit to a school in 2019, Kate talked about making cheesy pasta with George and Charlotte, including how they help with the flour and milk.

She also revealed Charlotte loves olives, suggesting she might have a very mature palate for a child.

In 2018, she told cooks at the Big Commonwealth Lunch that George and Charlotte love making pizza dough because they can get their hands messy.