How Queen Elizabeth Convinced William And Harry To Eat Broccoli

The advice to eat your green veggies is pretty much universal regardless of culture, age, or regional tastes. But this recommended dietary practice also transcends the boundaries between the average citizen and royalty, which means not even Princes William and Harry were spared from the requirement to eat their broccoli.

Many parents are forced to find new and creative ways to convince their kids' to follow this rule, whether through an all the veggies vegetable soup, or one of a dozen ways to sneak vegetables into kids' favorite lunchbox recipes. But Queen Elizabeth's strategy was more straightforward — it was a sort of bargain. As growing boys, the princes favored a crispy chicken mac and cheese dish made with baked, skin-on chicken and pasta with both cheddar and parmesan. They were apparently less excited about the florets of broccoli served alongside the dish. But the rule was simple: If they wanted the chicken they craved, a floret of broccoli had to accompany each piece.

Queen Elizabeth may have preferred green veggies for William and Harry as they were growing up (even while they may have wished for some other British classics like cottage pie and fish cakes). Today, William and Harry's diets are in their own hands, and though it isn't quite clear whether the princes continue to eat their broccoli, their preferences remain the subject of royal followers' intrigue. 

Prince William seems to have inherited a taste for sensible meals, regularly enjoying a sustaining breakfast of eggs, buttered whole grain toast, and tea. His other favorites include roast chicken and lamb burgers, along with Italian-inspired fare like lasagna and pizza, and slightly spicy tikka masala. Prince Harry is said to share his brother's affinity for roast chicken – which was also the dish over which he proposed to his now wife, Meghan Markle. During his time as a U.S. resident, though, Harry has developed an appreciation for the faster, more American things in life, and is known to be a frequent customer of California's In-N-Out chain for burgers.

While the royals' lives might be difficult to relate to in some ways, The Queen's struggle to ensure her grandchildren ate their green veggies is probably very familiar to many. And based on their favorite foods then and now, we can all find something in common with William and Harry.