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Prince Philip's secret skill that his grandchildren have never forgotten

Prince Harry shed light on Prince Philip's delicious dishes at Balmoral in his memoir Spare

prince harry prince philip
Georgia Brown
Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
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Prince Harry's tell-all autobiography, Spare, has dominated headlines since its release. While the Duke of Sussex's slew of explosive claims have detailed everything from physical assaults to fiery text messages between the Princess of Wales and his wife Meghan Markle, the memoir also offers a touching insight into Prince Harry's royal childhood.

In one chapter, the father-of-two recalls spending summers in the Scottish Highlands with his grandparents. The late Queen Elizabeth II considered her royal residence of Balmoral to be one of her favourite places in the world, and according to Harry, seemed to be the place where she felt most like "Granny" rather than the Queen.

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Harry's grandfather, the late Prince Philip, was famed for his love of barbecues he hosted during the family's Balmoral holidays, and even had a trailer especially built to house all the equipment.

But Prince Harry reveals his grandpa's barbeque skills didn't only extend to cooking meat. Prince Philip was also a dab hand at cooking spaghetti bolognese on the coals - we can only imagine the smokey taste of this Italian classic!

prince philip princess anne bbq© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Phillip used to book spaghetti bolognese on the grill

Former royal chef Darren McGrady previously shed light on Prince Phillip's grill skills in an interview with Marie Claire, explaining that Philip would often come down to the kitchens to inquire about ingredients.

"'Do we have any salmon that any of the family have caught? The Queen's been picking strawberries with Princess Margaret, let's have those for dinner,'" Darren recalled the Duke of Edinburgh asking.

According to Balmoral's housekeeper Sheena Stuart, Prince Harry's grandparents were at their happiest when hosting relaxed gatherings for friends and family at their Scottish home. Speaking on Countryfile, Sheena revealed: "The Duke, he cooks, the Queen sets up the table. There are no staff that come out to serve."

prince philip queen balmoral© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Philip and the Queen loved spending summers at their Scottish home

Royal journalist Robert Hardman further added how the Duke would "relish the prospect of setting up his barbecue in the unlikeliest spots – and cooking anything that took his fancy." Who could have expected spaghetti bolognese would be on his must-grill menu?

Although many of the Duke's meals involved "good, simple cooking" at home, he was also known for not being afraid of experimenting with flavours and ambitious recipes.

According to King Charles, the royal's most ambitious dish was: "snipe, which, after shooting it at Sandringham, he plucked, cleaned and prepared himself".

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