What were Prince Harry and William’s childhood treats? Who has a sweet tooth in the royal family? What does the Queen eat?
Dream Cruises launched “A Taste of the Palace” on Genting Dream in November, with a pair of very special voyages from Singapore, each with a guest chef—one by Chef Ivan Li of Family Li Imperial Cuisine, who made iconic dishes in the court of the Qing dynasty; as well as one by former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for 15 years in both the Buckingham Palace and the Kensington Place.
We were invited onboard the latter voyage, where chef McGrady—who now resides in Texas—prepared the British royal family’s favourite dishes for us. We caught up him one afternoon for a little chat:
(Related: These Are The British Royal Family's Favourite Holiday Destinations)
How long ago did you leave the royal family?
Darren McGrady (DM) After Princess Diana died, so 22 years ago. I spent 11 years with the Queen and four years with Princess Diana right until the car accident. I actually had her food with me, waiting for her to return the next day. After that I moved to the US, and have been living in Dallas, Texas for the last 22 years. I started my own catering company called Eating Royally, after two cookbooks, of which one was named Eating Royally, which I donated all the advance royalties to Princess Diana’s charity and it went to six prints.