In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, former royal chef Darren McGrady revealed that, during his stint at Buckingham Palace, Princess Diana would request an entire tin of beans. Yes, you read that right, beans.
“I used to cook beans for breakfast in Buckingham Palace,” the chef explained. “Princess Diana love them; she’d actually eat a whole tin of beans for breakfast.”
But there may have been a method to her madness, Darren explained. “It sounds crazy,” he started, but, when you think about it, there’s only seven grams of sugar in the English-style baked beans, they’re rich in protein, high in fibre and very low in fat. So they’re perfect for her.”
The chef went on to reveal that, for the princess, the beans were a “big carb boost” that she had “before going to the gym and doing a workout”.
It’s no secret that Princess Diana suffered through a harrowing eating disorder in her time. Back in 1992, author Andrew Morton revealed Charles’ former wife struggled with bulimia in his biography, Diana: Her true Story.
In his book, Morton revealed how the disorder reared its ugly head right after the Princess of Wales became Charles’ fiancé.
“The bulimia started the week after we got engaged and would take nearly a decade to overcome,” Diana confessed through tapes given to the author.
“My husband put his hand on my waistline and said: ‘Oh, a bit chubby here, aren’t we?’ and that triggered off something in me—and the Camilla thing.”
Diana also spoke of her battle with bulimia in her infamous Panorama interview with the BBC. Although, apparently not willingly.
First, it was Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, who claimed his sister was “tricked” into the revealing chat with BBC interviewer Martin Bashir. Soon after, it was the princess’ ex-partner, Hasnat Khan, who suggested Bashir “manipulated” Diana into revealing more than she intended.
“One of (Diana’s) most attractive qualities was her vulnerability,” Khan told the Daily Mail earlier this month, “it was what endeared her to the public. I later realised that Martin picked on those vulnerabilities and exploited them”.
Though Diana regrets the interview, its impact cannot be denied. By speaking openly about her struggles with food, Diana helped viewers who were also struggling know that they were not alone.