Royal chef describes ‘embarrassing’ first meeting with Diana – ‘My face was a picture’
ROYAL chef Darren McGrady has spoken about the first time he met Princess Diana.
Diana: Former chef says working for Princess was 'amazing'
Mr McGrady, who worked for the royals for 15 years, said his face was “a picture” and “beetroot red”. The moment happened at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The royal chef told Delish: “I remember the first time I met Princess Diana, I was at Balmoral Castle working in the pastry kitchen and I was helping make some apple pies.
“The pastry chef was across one side of the table and we were just chatting.
“I looked up and right behind him was Princess Diana, just stood there.
“My face was a picture. I think ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ is all I remember saying.
“I was beetroot red and just staring at the Princess all the time - embarrassing.”
Mr McGrady also revealed some of Diana’s favourite foods, including stuffed peppers.
He said that she did not eat beef, only had lamb when she was entertaining and mainly stuck to vegetarian dishes.
But she loved fish, particularly rainbow trout, according to the royal chef.
READ MORE: Prince Harry’s series with Oprah Winfrey gets surprise endorsement
Mr McGrady described the kitchen as “so relaxed” when Diana was around.
He said: “One day she walked in and said, ‘Darren I need a coffee, oh I’ll make it you’re busy, would you like one?’”
The royal chef added: “There was Princess Diana making me a coffee!”
While working for Diana, Mr McGrady would also cook for Prince William and Prince Harry.
DON'T MISS
The Queen is given this special present every Monday [INSIGHT]
Royal restoration: How much has Buckingham Palace works cost? [ANALYSIS]
Meghan Markle always destined 'for royalty', former co-star says [VIDEO]
He said: “William and Harry, although they were royal princes they still had children’s palettes.”
Mr McGrady cooked for Diana in the four years leading up to her tragic death in 1997.
During his time working for the royals, he was also the Queen’s chef.
Mr McGrady has previously told how Diana almost burned down Kensington Palace after having a cooking mishap.
In an appearance on The Morning Show, he said: “The Princess was the worst cook ever.
“I used to work Monday to Friday and had weekends off.
“One day, she invited her friend over, and she was in the kitchen cooking pasta and a tomato sauce.
“They got chatting away, the pasta boiled over and put out the pilot light.
“They went to eat their food, and later the Princess came back into the kitchen and she could smell gas.
“It was from the pilot light. So she called the palace fire brigade.
“Monday morning she came and said to me, 'Darren, you won’t believe what happened to me. I nearly set the kitchen on fire. But the best part was, I had 12 hunky firemen to myself.'"