With royal palace chefs on hand to cook delicious meals and plenty of opportunities to taste new cuisines during their royal tours, you'd think that no foods would be off-limits for the Queen and Co, right? Wrong.
RELATED: The Queen's daily diet: The monarch's breakfast, lunch and dinner revealed
Members of the royal family actually avoid eating some specific foods, whether it's to avoid bad breath, prevent food poisoning or to simply follow Her Majesty's preferences. Curious to know what's never on the menu? Keep reading...
WATCH: The royals must avoid these foods
Garlic
Loved by some, despised by others, garlic is a real love it or loathe it food. It's no huge surprise then that the food flavouring, which causes distinctive-smelling breath the following day, is banned chez Her Majesty.
The Duchess of Cornwall once revealed on Australian MasterChef that when on official engagements, nothing with too much garlic is ever served: "Garlic is a no-no... You always have to lay off the garlic." This was confirmed by former royal chef Darren McGrady, who revealed that palace chefs are forbidden from serving food containing too much onion or garlic.
Shellfish
Also off the menu for royals is shellfish, which carries a high risk of food poisoning. Former royal butler Grant Harold told Woman & Home magazine: "It is a very sensible move to abandon having seafood when out and about on public duties. We don’t want a member of the Royal family having a serious reaction to food poisoning, especially if she is on an overseas tour."
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We're sure this rule is broken occasionally though; Prince William has previously revealed his love of sushi and Prince Charles has been known to sample shellfish. The Queen is said to always stick to this guideline though.
Foie Gras
The French delicacy was banned in royal palaces in 2008 by Prince Charles over concerns for animal welfare. The royal's Deputy Master of the Household announced the rule in a letter to a Bristol activist [shown on Peta's website], saying: "I just wanted to reassure you that The Prince of Wales has a policy that his chefs should not buy foie gras."
READ: The one thing you didn't know about The Queen's menu
Rare meat
The Queen is reportedly not a fan of rare meat - according to former royal chef Darren McGrady, she likes her meat well done. Royals are also prohibited from eating foods containing raw meat such as steak tartare when on official engagements to avoid food poisoning.
Pasta
This is hard to believe but apparently, the monarch is not big on starchy carbs like pasta, rice and potatoes. Darren McGrady previously disclosed that the Queen does not care much for pasta and likes to eat meals containing fish or meat and vegetables instead.
Other items that are said to be avoided include crusts on sandwiches, tap water when travelling abroad and spicy foods – the latter of which would likely disappoint the Duchess of Cambridge!
Oysters
Despite being a delicacy in many countries and a favourite at decadent banquets, the Queen and her late husband Prince Philip reportedly hated oysters, according to former royal servant Charles Oliver.
"Inevitably there are one or two things the Queen and her husband do not like, and the hosts are duly warned in advance," reads an extract from Dinner at Buckingham Palace, based on the diaries and personal recollections of Charles.
They're also not the most elegant food to eat – so it's no wonder the Queen avoids them at all costs!
MORE: The royal family's favourite takeaways revealed – from curry to Nando's
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