What Is Queen Elizabeth’s Favorite Takeout Meal?
Many of us have very specific ideas about what the British royal family is like in real life and most of those ideas are very, very fancy. This is particularly true of Queen Elizabeth II — after all, she’s the queen. The British monarch has a wardrobe manager and multiple people responsible for styling her outfits, never skips afternoon tea, and owns several dozen jewel-encrusted tiaras. Of course, she also has numerous personal chefs, but according to Hello!, the queen still thoroughly enjoys some takeaway food from time to time.
Queen Elizabeth II
As stated on Royal.uk, the royal family’s official website, “The Queen has ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history.” Queen Elizabeth holds a number of other distinctions as well, including being the oldest head of state in the world and the longest-serving female head of state in history.
Her Majesty was born in April 1926 and was never expected to become queen, as she was third in line behind both her uncle and her father, the Duke of York (later, King George VI). Yet, at the age of just 10, the now-queen was the heir presumptive. Her grandfather, King George V, died in 1936 and her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne later that same year, making her father the successive king.
Elizabeth officially became the queen in February 1952 after King George VI died, and she has held the title continuously ever since. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and started a family, ultimately giving birth to four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Today, the queen is known for valuing and protecting the royal family’s privacy, as well as taking her official responsibilities extremely seriously. She has a deep sense of civic duty and supports over 600 organizations, and it’s widely known that she has a strong affinity for Corgis and horses.
A meal fit for a queen
So what does the 68-years-and-counting reigning queen like to eat? Unsurprisingly, there a number of strict rules and traditions that must be followed when it comes to planning official palace meals. For example, garlic and onion are kept to an absolute minimum because of their potential for causing bad breath, while shellfish is to be avoided because it carries a higher likelihood of food poisoning than other foods.
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It makes sense that shellfish is off-limits, but Queen Elizabeth reportedly enjoys other types of fish — specifically, fish and chips. Hello! magazine says the queen “sometimes treats herself to dinner from the local chippy when staying at Balmoral” and reports that a member of the royal security team usually goes and picks it up. For the uninitiated, the Cambridge Dictionary defines a “chippy” as the informal term for a fish-and-chip shop.
Other royal family members’ favorite dishes
As it turns out, the queen isn’t the only royal who loves a nice takeaway meal, according to Today. In a surprise 2017 interview with BBC Radio One, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — otherwise known as Prince William and Kate Middleton — revealed that they enjoy ordering takeaway food often.
While Duchess Kate raved about her love of curry and other spicy foods, Prince William admitted he’s “not so good with the spicy food” and said it typically comes down to pizza or Chinese food. The duke and duchess are also reportedly huge fans of Nando’s, the South Africa-based chain that specializes in Peri-Peri chicken dishes. The proverbial apple doesn’t fall from the tree, as Prince Harry has also been spotted picking up Nando’s on several occasions. Royals, they really are — sort of — just like us.
