Princess Diana was known for her warm quality and her affectionate nature as the mother of Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Harry.
Private time with her young sons was important to the late Princess of Wales, who sadly passed away in 1997. Someone who gained an insider's insight into the life of Diana from within the palace walls was former royal chef Darren McGrady.
In a video for his YouTube channel, Darren revealed what he would cook for Diana for lunch, adding that it was often a meal she shared with her sons.
Diana's daily menu
"When she was entertaining, especially if she had the boys home, William and Harry, I had to change the menu to make it nursery friendly so that the boys would like it - comfort food that they would like but a dish to two that she would like too," Darren revealed.
Darren went on to recall having the princess and Harry for lunch, where he cooked sole florentine for Diana and spaghetti bolognese for her son. He added that on this occasion, Diana changed the menu completely as a friend joined them for lunch at Kensington Palace, opting for Darren's tomato mousse followed by lobster thermidor with a pear flan for dessert.
Food consultant and former MasterChef contestant, Renae Smith, tells HELLO! that Diana's lunch menu is very reflective of who she was.
"It strikes a balance between warmth and comfort while still being thoughtful about nutrition," she says.
"Take her preferred dish, Sole Florentine. It's a lean white fish served with a lot of nutrient-rich spinach and a light cheesy sauce. It's elegant but healthful, and I think it perfectly suits her.
"To me, it also suggests that she favoured small, warm plates for lunch over cold foods like sandwiches and salads, something I relate to, because it’s often about how food makes you feel as much as what’s on the plate," Renae adds.
Diana's family-first approach
Diana's allowing Harry to eat a meal more to his taste highlights her understanding of her children's needs.
"For her children, the chef’s choices, spaghetti Bolognese and shepherd’s pie, are exactly what you’d expect in a family-friendly royal household," Renae says.
"They're classic comfort foods, but also incredibly adaptable. You can enrich them with vegetables hidden in a tomato sauce or fold peas and carrots into the pie mince. It's simple, practical cooking, but with a strong nutritional backbone, which makes perfect sense for young children."
Diana's approach to indulgent dishes
Renae says that even Diana's choice to switch to something more indulgent, like lobster thermidor, reflects restraint.
"It's luxurious, yes, but it's also inherently balanced, a lean, high-protein ingredient treated with a little richness, rather than a heavy, decadent dish that would sit with you for hours after," the culinary expert explains.
She adds: "Even the desserts tell a story. They were predominantly fruit-based, subtly sweet, and far from overly rich (no fudge cake here), which mirrors what we know of Diana's unfussy, considered approach to food.
Diana's menu pretty much sums her up. "What you see from this small snapshot is a menu that marries quiet luxury with nutritional balance," Renae tells us.
"She had access to the best ingredients, but nothing here feels excessive or gluttonous. It's food that's comforting for her family, elevated for her guests, and, in the end, beautifully aligned with the kind of elegance Diana was known for - measured, graceful, and never overdone."