As young royals Princes William and Harry would tuck in to “traditional, English food”, according to one former royal chef – but they also had some more exotic fare on the menu.

Many are under the impression that William and Harry would be feasting on five-star delicacies on a daily basis, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, according to ex palace cook Darren McGrady. Among their daily dishes, the heir to the throne and his younger brother counted some relatable British favourites, including the world-famous roast dinner, fish cakes and cottage pie with peas.

Darren told PEOPLE Magazine about the duo’s favourite food. He explained: “They may be royal children but they still have children’s palates. [They had] everything a normal British child would have. The only difference is that they had a chef cooking it for them… They loved things like mixed grills, burgers, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and cream chicken sauce…”

The young royals loved a traditional English roast© Getty Images

In addition to these family favourites, the brothers were mad for a special dessert as youngsters – a banana flan, Darren explained. He said: “They liked comfort food dishes. They loved banana flan, anything with banana really, banana ice cream. They loved things like mixed grills, burgers, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and cream chicken sauce…” William and his wife Kate have passed on their love of traditional grub to their own kids George, Charlotte and Louis.

Spaghetti and meatballs were also on the menu© Getty Images

An ex-royal chef said the boys loved comfort food© Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

But hearty comfort food isn’t the only thing exciting William’s tastebuds. He once revealed that he’s a big fan of Portuguese peri-peri chicken joint, Nando’s. During an interview for BBC documentary Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health in 2020 he admitted: “Everyone loves a Nando’s. In fact, the policeman who’s on with me again [today], he’s the one who gets me the Nando’s the whole time. It’s his fault.”

At the Kensington’s home, Kate is responsible for a lot of the cooking and in 2019, she told TV presenter Mary Berry: “We grow our own vegetables, we’ve got carrots, beans… beetroot’s a massive favourite, Louis absolutely loves beetroot.” She also revealed that Charlotte “obviously loves her Charlotte potatoes”.

Kate also likes to make cheesy pasta with the kids, according to Chief Executive fo the Ivy Learning Trust, Matthew Kleiner. He explained: “One stirs the flour, one puts the milk and butter in. She was telling us how much her children love cooking and how they cook for her.”