EXCLUSIVE: Princess Anne Mocked Over 'Disgusting' Food Habit
Princess Anne has a particular diet.
Sept. 17 2026, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Princess Anne is being savaged for developing a decidedly un-royal reputation for serving up the sort of no-frills food that might horrify anyone expecting palace-style fine dining – including frozen pies, canned vegetables and overripe bananas.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Princess Royal, 76 – the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip – has long favored practical meals over elaborate cuisine.
Princess Anne's Simple Food Choices Raise Eyebrows
Princess Anne is facing mockery for favoring no-frills, un-royal meals.
Despite having spent decades attending state occasions and formal banquets, Anne's tastes include Fray Bentos pies, quickly defrosted food and simple vegetables – while she has also been known to skip lunch altogether.
A palace source claimed: "Anne eats the kind of foods even the poorest families in Britain would consider disgusting, and it is exposing her to huge mockery among other royals and palace staff."
Royal pilot Graham Laurie recalled just how basic the catering could become when Anne traveled aboard royal aircraft.
He said on the A Right Royal Podcast show: "We had to provide food for her, so we never left Benson without what I call the bottom line in catering. Those wonderful flat-tinned meat pies by Fray Bentos, and we'd do that – we take tinned vegetables, tinned potatoes. The stewards would tart up a gravy. Add a few spices to it. And we'd serve steak and kidney pie or chicken and leek pie. And do you know, they used to love it?"
Fray Bentos Pies Served on Royal Flights
Royal pilot Graham Laurie recalled serving basic canned vegetables aloft.
The meals were a striking departure from the expensive dishes normally associated with first-class travel, but Laurie said Anne appeared delighted by the change.
He continued: "I think it was such a pleasant change from all the poncey first-class food. She enjoyed it. I mean, she may have had it at home as well, I don't know. But certainly, it was unusual to serve it in the aircraft."
Anne's enthusiasm for straightforward food reportedly extended beyond flights. She has been said to serve Fray Bentos pies to guests at Gatcombe Park, her Gloucestershire home, alongside peas or green beans and boiled potatoes.
Her approach to entertaining has apparently been equally efficient, with Anne previously joking about ensuring dinner guests did not linger late into the evening.
She said: "After all, one wants everyone out of the house by 9.15 pm at the latest. For pudding, I pass them a choc ice to eat in the car."
Overripe Bananas and Skipping Lunch
The Princess Royal often skips lunch to maintain packed schedules just like her king brother.
Her unusual preferences are not limited to frozen and canned food.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady has previously said Anne "almost always preferred the bananas almost black – overripe – because they digest easier."
The Princess Royal also often skips lunch – a habit long shared by her brother, King Charles, 77 – who has traditionally regarded stopping for a midday meal as taking valuable time away from work.
That approach would fit Anne's long-established reputation for maintaining a packed schedule of official engagements.
Six-Course Feast Left Untouched
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Security teams happily devoured an elaborate six-course meal she refused.
Chef Michael Mercer also recalled preparing an elaborate six-course meal for Anne, only for Anne to drink Earl Grey tea and politely leave without eating the feast.
Mercer said: "She thanked me and left. But her security team were delighted to step in and enjoy it."
A source said: "This was yet another in a long line of examples of Anne refusing to alter her famously functional approach to food simply because something more extravagant had been placed before her."
The royal family has long been associated with distinctive eating habits.
Charles is said to favor seasonal, organic produce and often skips lunch, while the late Queen Elizabeth was known for modest portions and afternoon tea.
Formal banquets may be elaborate, but behind palace doors, meals have often been surprisingly traditional and straightforward.
