King Charles Did Something Queen Elizabeth Would’ve Never Done in Kenya, Historian Says
King Charles III isn’t Queen Elizabeth II, as the soon-to-be 75-year-old British monarch has subtly reminded the world. During his and Queen Camilla’s royal tour of Kenya, the king did something his late mother wouldn’t have, according to a historian: eat at a food truck.
King Charles sampled dishes from a food truck on his royal tour of Kenya
Food trucks were part of the schedule for King Charles on Nov. 1, 2023, day two of his and Queen Camilla’s four-day visit to Kenya. On a solo outing in Nairobi, the 74-year-old sampled food from Nairobi Street Kitchen.
King Charles ordered two dishes — saag paneer kathi roll wrap and butter chicken samosa — per The Daily Mail. He also joked about their spiciness, saying they could “blow your head off.”
According to royal historian Marlene Koenig, King Charles’s visit to the food truck wasn’t likely to have happened with his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. “Charles is far less formal than his mother,” Koenig told Express, noting the number of “more informal engagements” in Kenya.
“I do not think the late queen would have stopped at that food truck,” the historian added. Her husband, King Charles’s father, “Prince Philip, might have, however.”
Buckingham Palace reportedly requested dishes not be too spicy for King Charles’s food truck stop
His daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, might be a fan of spicy food, and even his 8-year-old granddaughter, Princess Charlotte. But it seems King Charles, like his oldest son, Prince William, doesn’t like to bring the heat.
Sous chef Rhoda Asiyo said, per The Daily Mail, they’d been told by Buckingham Palace, not to make the food “too spicy” for King Charles.
“The king was great, very chilled out,” Asiyo said following the monarch’s stop, noting he ordered a “dish that flies off the shelves.”
King Charles prefers to eat seasonal foods at home
As for what King Charles eats at home in England, his food preferences are well-documented. Through the years, chefs and aides have opened up about food that’s on the menu for the royal.
King Charles is known to skip lunch when his schedule’s particularly busy, former royal staffer Julian Payne said. “When we do day visits or foreign tours, he can go the whole day without stopping for a break, which means we all have to miss our lunch as well,” Payne said.
“He doesn’t seem to notice all the rumbling stomachs around him,” the former staffer continued. “You just learn that you have to have a big breakfast on those days.”
The king, Payne noted, typically starts his day with a breakfast of seasonal fruit. At 5 p.m., King Charles takes a break to drink tea and eat sandwiches or something sweet with Queen Camilla.
As for the king’s must-have foods list, it’s said to include ingredients from his own garden with an emphasis on all things seasonal. Just don’t expect to find garlic or raw onions. They’re no-no’s in royal kitchens.
“Everything had to be in season,” Carolyn Robb, a former royal chef, said. “So, no imported strawberries in December. The king was never happier than eating food fresh from the garden.”
King Charles’s royal tour of Kenya ended on Nov. 3, 2023, and has already been called as a “resounding success” (via Vanity Fair).
