Princess Diana's Favorite Meal Was Oddly Normal

Who among us doesn't enjoy the feeling of being treated like a royal? One easy way to achieve that feeling from the comfort of your own home is to recreate the recipes for meals the royals loved to eat. Royalty, of course, is a broad term, but one particular royal family that attracts global attention is the British one. And of the many royals in this large family, a particular favorite of most people is Princess Diana. Lady Di, as she was also known, was very health conscious, and in keeping with this life choice, her favorite meal — according to the royal chef who cooked for her for four years — was an oddly normal offering: stuffed bell peppers.

While much has been written about what Princess Diana's last meal was before her tragic and untimely death in a car accident in 1997, we now also know what she liked to eat multiple times a week in her own home, the beautiful Kensington Palace in London.

The fact that she loved the simple appetizer known as stuffed bell peppers, was brought to the world's notice by Darren McGrady, who was her personal chef for the last four years of her life. Previously, he had garnered royal cooking experience as the chef for Queen Elizabeth II herself, for whom he cooked for 11 years.

McGrady recalls that by the time he took over Lady Di's royal kitchen, she had already recovered from her eating disorders. She was keen, therefore, to remain healthy by eating well and exercising. While speaking to HuffPost, he said, "After overcoming her bulimia, she started working out and shifting to a fat-free diet, telling McGrady, 'I want you to take care of all of the fat. I'll take care of the carbs at the gym.'"

Normal and healthy dishes like stuffed bell peppers and stuffed eggplant were some of the things she would ask for frequently – sometimes as often as several times a week. The kind he made for her had red bell peppers stuffed with mushroom, zucchini, rice, bacon, and a chicken bouillon cube added for flavor. Parmesan cheese would also be added on top.

Another interesting fact that McGrady recalls about Princess Diana was that she wasn't a good cook. She did thoroughly enjoy eating good food though. Apart from the stuffed bell papers, which were a menu staple for her, she also enjoyed the typically English dessert known as bread and butter pudding. You could make this Irish bread and butter pudding if you are keen to try it at home.

Owing to her desire to be fit, she would also ask for certain tweaks made to the other delicious meals that were being cooked in the royal kitchens. This was so that she could enjoy the flavor of the food while eating with her sons, William and Harry, but stay away from the extra calories. Hence, McGrady would often make fat-free versions of the dishes that were being cooked for the boys or for royal guests – including Oprah Winfrey. So, the oily and high-fat version of roasted chicken and potatoes made for her sons would become poached and dry-baked to suit Princess Diana's preferences.