King Charles, head of the Commonwealth, keeps his everyday meals simple and easy to replicate, despite expectations that he might favour the finer end of the culinary world. His diet is known to be very healthy, featuring homegrown vegetables, small meals and eggs from his own chickens at Highgrove House, with a strong emphasis on organic produce. He does enjoy an alcoholic drink or two, but has some particular requests and one big no-no in his dietary preferences.
Breakfast: eggs, seeds and tea
The King favours an egg dish for breakfast. In 2020, Clarence House revealed one of his favourite brunch recipes: cheesy baked eggs. Posting a picture of the eggs to Instagram at the time, Clarence House wrote: “The Prince has also shared one of his favourite recipes, Cheesy Baked Eggs, which can be made by using any number of our great British cheeses.”
He is also keen on nuts and seeds in the morning, along with a cup of tea, according to royal journalist Tina Brown's book "The Palace Papers". In the book, an incident is mentioned in which a guest was inspecting the breakfast buffet at Highgrove, "when he lifted a tureen that offered Charles' preferred heap of Linseed." Tina wrote: "Prince William said: 'Oh no, don't go near the bird table, Stephen, that's only for Pa'."
Lunch: skipped for work
King Charles views lunch as unnecessary and therefore does not eat it, so he can fit in more royal engagements. This eating pattern was revealed in 2018 when Clarence House released a list of 70 facts to mark the then-Prince Charles's 70th birthday. Number 20 on the list is "The Prince does not eat lunch". According to former royal correspondent at The Telegraph, Gordon Rayner, King Charles believes that lunch is a "luxury" that interferes with his busy work schedule.
Dinner: seasonal and Italian favourites
The monarch goes big on seasonal cuisine, using fresh produce produced at his own estate. He also has a soft spot for Italian cuisine, according to former royal chef Darren McGrady. One of Charles's favourite dishes is a rack of sous vide lamb with wild mushroom risotto, McGrady claimed.
The royal has previously said that he tries to follow a mainly plant-based diet to reduce his carbon footprint. He told the BBC in 2021: "For years I haven't eaten meat and fish on two days a week, and I don't eat dairy products on one day a week." Charles is said to enjoy a coddled egg with every meal, which is an egg boiled for about two to three minutes.
Drinks: tea and martinis
The King's favourite tea has previously been revealed to be Darjeeling with honey and milk. According to The Sunday Times, he only likes it made with loose tea leaves in a teapot, "with the ratio being one teaspoon of leaves per each cup of tea, plus one for the pot." He is also reportedly partial to a good martini, composed of half gin and half dry vermouth.
The banned food
There is one type of food the monarch hates so much that he has banned it from all royal residences. The King, who was even praised by animal rights organisation PETA, has banned the French delicacy foie gras from all menus served at his royal residences. Foie gras is made from an abnormally enlarged duck or goose liver due to a disease called hepatic steatosis and is known as one of the most expensive delicacies in the world. The monarch even banned the delicacy from being served during his latest visit to France in September.
