Former Royal Chef and Butler Reveal How King Charles and Family Celebrate Easter, From "Beautiful" Gifts to a Lavish Lunch
The Royal Family does Easter in style.
Like many families around the world, the British royals gather together for a traditional Easter meal after attending church. While Kate Middleton and Prince William are skipping this year's service at St. George's Chapel, King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the Royal Family will be present on Easter Sunday—and according to former royal staffers, they're in store for quite the feast afterward.
Darren McGrady—who served as a palace chef for 15 years—told OK! that the royals sit down to a lavish lunch together. "We'd go straight into the main course—a traditional roast lamb with seasonal vegetable," he revealed.
The former royal chef shared that he'd also prepare "a compound salad served in a kidney dish attached to the plate," which consisted of "lettuce and cucumber with a little mint or some grated carrot and coriander."
A second course would include a special treat grown right on the Windsor Castle estate. "The most incredible sweet white Windsor peaches grew on the estate too in my day," he recalled. "We’d have to lock them away in the kitchens because everyone wanted to taste them."
The King and Queen waved to fans on Easter 2023.
Prince William and Kate Middleton joined his cousins Princess Eugenie (front left), Princess Beatrice (front right), Lady Louise (second from back right) and James Wessex, along with aunt Duchess Sophie, on Easter 2017.
Instead of posh cakes or other desserts, the royals actually stick to an Easter tradition when it comes to sweets. McGrady told the publication that King Charles and family eat chocolate easter eggs from Charbonnel et Walker. The chocolates are handcrafted in the U.K. from the historic shop, which was founded in London in 1875 and granted a royal warrant.
Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell (speaking on behalf of Slingo), recently told Marie Claire that the late royal used to treat her sons to the luxury confectionary brand, too.
"She would ensure at Easter time there was always a beautiful chocolate easter egg [for William and Harry]," he shares. "The easter eggs would come from Charbonel et Walker, they’re still there in Mayfair. Handmade easter eggs, lovely."
Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won't be in the U.K. for Easter, the couple has shared that they enjoy Easter egg hunts with their children—a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria's day.
In an 1843 letter (via Tatler), Victoria wrote that her husband Prince Albert "hid some coloured Easter eggs in the moss for the children." She continued, "It is not so many years ago that I used so to enjoy hunting for and finding Easter eggs."
