If you were asked to envisage the dining habits of the royal family, your mind would probably conjure up images of duck, caviar, truffles, oysters, lobster and the most expensive cuts around: but lo and behold, good-old-fashioned fish and chips and curry are among the family's favourite foods.
The beginnings of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance is even rooted in the kind of humble fare enjoyed by us mere mortals, with William reportedly whipping up spag bol to win his now-wife's affection back in their university days.
Meanwhile, Queen Consort Camilla had admitted that "proper" fish and chips is an unbeatable combo in her book, citing its delicious salty "smell".
So are royalty really just like us? The Daily Mail's Femail decided to dish on some of the family's favourite meals - and a few of them may surprise you.
Chocolate biscuit cake
According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, this crunchy chocolate treat was a staple at Queen Elizabeth II's afternoon teas.
As reported by Harper's Bazaar, McGrady - who served as a personal chef to the late monarch - revealed that the Queen would not leave a single slither of the cake uneaten, meaning a staffer would have to travel with the remaining cake in tow if the Queen ever left the palace before it had been finished.
"She'll take a small slice every day until eventually there is only one tiny piece, but you have to send that up - she wants to finish the whole of that cake," McGrady is quoted as saying.
And the monarch's taste for chocolate clearly runs in the family, with Carolyn Robb, former chef to King Charles and his late wife Princess Diana, sharing that chocolate biscuit cake was a "firm favourite" in Princes William and Harry's nursery.
The cake even made an appearance at Prince William and Princess Kate's 2011 nuptials, alongside a multi-tiered fruit cake. According to reports, Buckingham Palace sent the recipe to British snack brand McVitie's - the creator of Digestive Biscuits - who made an outsized version of the cake including 1700 biscuits and 17 kg of chocolate.
Fish and chips
A staple of British pub grub, fish and chips are reportedly much-enjoyed in the royal residences - but are particularly favoured by Queen Consort Camilla.
In an interview with her son and food writer Tom Parker Bowles for You magazine, Camilla revealed that fish and chips wrapped in paper is one of her favourite dishes.
"That smell," she said. "You cannot beat proper fish and chips."
Fish and chips are reportedly also a favourite of William and Kate, who were said to be "regular customers" at Anstruther Fish Bar in the coastal town of Anstruther in Scotland during their days at the University of St Andrews, where the couple first started dating.
In 2021, reports also surfaced that the royal duo had paid a trip to the chippy during a visit to Scotland, ordering a £7.95 takeaway haddock, wrapped in paper, which they ate on a bench before going back for ice cream.
Meanwhile, a source confided to Fabulous Digital that the late Queen also enjoyed an occasional fish-and-chip dinner, telling the outlet: "She very occasionally treats herself to fish and chips when at Balmoral. A footman is dispatched to get it from the local town of Ballater."
Pizza
While pizza was never a favourite of the Queen, Princes William and Harry reportedly couldn't get enough of the Italian classic - with McGrady telling media the siblings "would have had it every night if Nanny let them".
Kate has also admitted to enjoying a slice every now and then, although she prefers to forgo pepperoni in favour of bacon.
Sticky toffee pudding
The classic British pud is Kate's favourite sweet treat, according to McGrady, who told Delish the Queen also loved the dessert "when it was really cold outside", particularly when she'd be visiting Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Scrambled eggs
King Charles has a known penchant for eggs, and apparently so does his wife Camilla, who is said to enjoy them scrambled for breakfast. The King and Queen Consort are known to keep pedigree Burford Brown and Maran chickens at Highgrove House and Gardens, their private residence in Gloucestershire, which produce highly sought-after eggs.
The Queen would also reportedly switch up her go-to breakfast of Special K cereal and fresh fruit for scrambled eggs, occasionally served with kippers or smoked salmon and a grating of truffle.
According to reports, Australian nutritionist Lee Holmes - who was given a copy of the Queen's favourite egg recipe - said it featured two unusual ingredients: nutmeg and lemon rind. She wrote on her website: "Ma'am loved to sometimes start the day with a protein-packed breakfast and these eggs were tailored to the way that she particularly liked them."
Spaghetti bolognese and spaghetti carbonara
As aforementioned, William would whip up spag bol for Kate when the two first began their relationship at university, with the Princess telling Mary Berry on A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019: "In university days he used to cook all sorts of meals. I think that's when he was trying to impress me! Things like bolognese sauce."
William later shared the recipe for his homemade bolognese sauce in the charity cookbook A Taste Of Home, which included 120 meals from the UK's top chefs and celebrities.
Meanwhile, nine-year-old Prince George - William and Kate's eldest child - is said to enjoy spaghetti carbonara, a pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese - usually Pecorino Romano or parmesan - cured pork, and black pepper.
Aldo Zilli, a celebrity chef specialising in Italian cuisine, said he discovered the young royal's penchant for pasta from William through their work for the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.
"Apparently [William's] little boy's favourite is spaghetti carbonara, so I'm waiting for the call to go and cook it for him," he told Femail, adding: "If George has my carbonara, he will never have another one, so I need to go and make it, let's get the ball rolling - send me to the palace to cook."
Roast chicken
Before her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018, former actress Meghan Markle revealed to Good Housekeeping that her go-to dish for a dinner party was a classic roast chook.
"There is honestly nothing as delicious, or as impressive, in my opinion, as a perfectly roasted chicken," she told the outlet. "It's a game-changer. I bring that to dinner parties and make a lot of friends."
And a roast also has a special place in her and Harry's relationship, with the royal getting down on one knee while they prepared a roast dinner during a "cosy night in" at Nottingham Cottage.
Curry
During a Radio 1 interview with Scott Mills for their Heads Together campaign in 2017, William and Kate revealed that just like many other British couples, they're partial to a takeaway curry in front of the telly.
"So do you ever order takeaways? What's your favourite?" Mills asked, to which Kate responded: "Absolutely - and curry, definitely."
"It doesn't usually get ordered to the Palace to be honest - normally someone goes and picks it up," William added.
During a visit to the Aga Khan Centre in London in 2019, Kate admitted she enjoys her spice - which her daughter, Princess Charlotte, apparently inherited. William, however - not so much.
"It's so hard cooking curry in the family," she said, noting that while she likes hers "quite hot", William has to have his "medium".
