princess anne umbrella© Photo: Getty Images

Could you handle Princess Anne's stomach-churning breakfast?

Former royal chef Darren McGrady confirmed the royal's breakfast habits

Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
September 7, 2022

Breakfast is commonly considered the most important meal of the day - and for the royal household, this belief is no exception. Princess Anne reportedly likes to start her day with a bowl of fruit, kickstarting her metabolism with a naturally sugary kick – but the way she likes to eat her bananas might make your stomach churn.

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It has been reported that the Queen's daughter often has a bizarre request for her bananas – preferring them to be out of date. Former royal chef Darren McGrady previously told TODAY: "[Princess Anne] almost always preferred the bananas almost black - overripe - because they digest easier."

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Although the Princess Royal's banana preference may not be the most appetising, Anne is certainly harbouring the benefits of eating her bananas once they've passed their prime.

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According to studies, when a banana has started to brown, it means all the starch and chlorophyll in the fruit has broken down into sugar. Brown bananas are typically much sweeter, which is why people often use mushy bananas to bake with.

The Princess Royal likes to eat her bananas when they are overripe

Further research published in an article on Spoon University reads: "This breakdown of chlorophyll is the reason why antioxidant levels increase as bananas age.

"So a fully brown banana is an antioxidant powerhouse." Maybe a brown banana a day is the secret behind Anne's glowing complexion at 71!

But that's not the only unusual element to the royal's morning meal. Tradition states that royals are reportedly never allowed to eat without using cutlery. As a result, senior royals are forced to cut up and eat all produce with a knife and fork.

If you're wondering how one would eat an overripe banana in such a formal way, chef Darren explained, "First, the ends of the banana are cut off. Then the banana peel is sliced down the middle from end to end so the unpeeled fruit can be opened.

"The fruit is sliced into circles and eaten with a fork", explained the chef.

Anne has a glowing complexion and flawless features

The monarch's daughter isn't the only royal picky about fruit. Darren also revealed that the Queen loves to eat fresh fruit, but only when they are in season.

"You can send strawberries every day to the queen during summer at Balmoral and she'll never say a word," he said ."Try including strawberries on the menu in January and she'll scrub out the line and say don't dare send me genetically modified strawberries."

LOOK: 10 photos that show Prince Charles' close bond with his sister Princess Anne

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