As the Queen and the royal family mourn the sad loss of her late husband Prince Philip, which came as a huge shock to us all, the monarch's former chef has revealed a touching anecdote about the couple.
Talking exclusively to HELLO!, Darren McGrady has shared a lovely memory of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh from their holidays in their Scottish residence, Balmoral.
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It's widely known that Prince Philip loved to cook outdoors, with his grandson Prince Harry calling him the "master of the barbecue".
Philip and daughter Anne cook on the barbecue at Balmoral
We asked Darren if Philip had ever cooked for the Queen at Buckingham Palace, to which he replied: "He never cooked at the palace to my knowledge. Only on the grill, so mainly Balmoral for the family. Sweet though, that The Queen would then rinse the dishes."
Oh, we just love this! One can imagine the royals enjoying a summer barbecue then the Queen taking the plates inside and doing the washing up. What brilliant teamwork.
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The Queen and Prince Philip enjoying the countryside at Balmoral
In fact, former royal butler, Paul Burrell, also spoke about the Queen helping with chores back in 2020 on Vicky Pattison's The Secret podcast. He said: "She does like to go on picnics, but the food is all prepared."
"She likes to wash up. She puts on the Marigolds and when she goes out to the log cabin at Balmoral, she is stood there with her Marigolds on and she washes up and the lady-in-waiting dries."
You can always count on the monarch to get stuck in and help – and what a fantastic example to her great-grandchildren who often visit her at Balmoral in the summer.
Prince Andrew, the Queen, Prince Edward and Prince Philip in 1972
We recently revealed how Prince Philip had an adventurous streak when it came to food. Speaking in a YouTube tribute to the late Duke, Darren McGrady said: "Normally the Queen would be the one who chose the menus for dinner but I think he liked it when he got to choose the menus for his private dinner parties when he was with friends."
He added: "He always went for weird and crazy and different foods. I think just a steak was boring, so he'd say, 'Let's have jugged hare or snipe or teal (birds) or partridge' – all of these different game from off the estate."
MORE: Kipper flavoured soufflé? Prince Philip's adventurous streak revealed by chef
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