Princess Anne, aged 76, remains one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family, and her "unroyal" breakfast of overripe bananas and kippers may be the secret to her enduring energy. The princess has consistently ranked among the most dedicated royals each year, outperforming younger counterparts while fulfilling her official duties.
A simple and practical meal
Known for preferring practical, healthy and vitamin-rich foods, the Princess Royal keeps her breakfast straightforward. Her favourite includes overly ripe bananas and kippers, a salty, oily fish most commonly eaten in the morning, either on its own or with eggs.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady told TODAY: "Princess Anne almost always preferred the bananas almost black - overripe - because they digest easier."
A royal connection to kippers
Anne's love of kippers was revealed in a complimentary letter she sent to Fortune Kippers, a 154-year-old company founded and based in Whitby, Yorkshire. The company's website noted: "Members of the Royal Family have also been known to enjoy our kippers and HRH Princess Anne has written to Barry and Derek telling them how much she enjoys their kippers."
The Princess Royal shares this taste with her late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was a regular consumer of the fish.
A tradition from the war years
According to former royal servant Charles Oliver, writing in his book 'Dinner at Buckingham Palace', the late Queen "has been partial to kippers since the war years". During that time, she and Princess Margaret discovered the dish while exploring Windsor Castle, drawn by a "compelling aroma".
Mr Oliver wrote: "Fascinated, they traced the smell to its source and found themselves outside the private kitchen of Mrs Alice Bruce, then housekeeper at the castle. They politely knocked on the door and were welcomed into the old-fashioned kitchen with its great iron oven range – and its frying kippers. Mrs Bruce gave the princesses their first taste of kipper and showed them how to cook the fish as well."
The author added: "Kippers, in a number of uncomplicated variations, have remained a favourite with the Queen ever since – for breakfast, as a savoury or a late-night supper."
