PAYou would think being the Queen would make you exempt from certain unsavoury dining experiences: the short and curly in your burger, the crayon inside your pizza (this actually happened to me once).
But, despite assumedly steering clear of late night kebab joints, it seems Queen Elizabeth II is just as prone as any of us to a gag-worthy food incident.
The story goes that once Her Maj was once tucking into a nice, green salad, only to find it a little too fresh for her taste, with a little extra protein on board in the form of dead slug.
Luckily, the sovereign no longer wields the power to plonk heads on spikes all across London Bridge. Instead, Queen Elizabeth II apparently uses her dry and subtle wit as a weapon when putting her palace staff straight.
As reported by the Mail Online, the Queen took a page torn from a comments book used to express her thoughts on the dinner to the palace chef and used to convey a very straight-point-message.
She plopped the slimy stowaway on the piece of paper, before writing ‘I found this in the salad – could you eat it?’
The grim – and no doubt sticky – message was then sent to the palace kitchens, where I imagine the Official Salad Dresser (pretty sure that’s a job) was given a stern ticking off.
These revelations come from the book Dinner At Buckingham Palace, by Charles Oliver. Packed with menus and anecdotes from a real-life royal servant, the book explores the varied eating habits of monarchs past and present; with a few little surprises along the way.
For example, I never could have guessed the Queen would have such an ordinary breakfast routine (a brew in bed followed by a plastic container of Special K) or that she much prefers a cuppa to a glass of champers.
Her Majesty is also said to have a taste for yoghurt as well as for marmalade on toast. Sometimes a royal corgi will get tossed a crust or two.
It comes as no great surprise of course that the Queen takes afternoon tea each day at 4pm, complete with a nice selection of dainty sandwiches and cakes.
PAThe Queen reportedly picks out menus from suggestions written out by the royal chef, Mark Flanagan and presented to in a red leather-bound book. Queen Elizabeth then pencils in her choices, striking out the meals she doesn’t want and adding alternatives.
As reported by Cosmopolitan, Oliver explained:
Mostly, the book remains blank, as the Queen is not fussy about food. However, when she has a guest to an informal lunch and they reveal definite likes and dislikes—such as an objection to fried potatoes or Brussels sprouts—the Queen will make a discreet note for future reference.
This is duly recorded by the kitchen and remembered, should the guest come again.
GettyOnce the menu book is full, it is then filed in the palace library as a little yet interesting piece of royal history. After all, royal or not, a person’s eating habits can be very revealing.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.