King Charles certainly has a set of peculiar dining quirks, be it his liking for linseed, the fact he never eats lunch, or the mystery behind his love for boiled eggs.
SEE: King Charles' daily diet: Seeds, boiled eggs, and the meal he never eats
The notion that the late Queen's son enjoys a boiled egg with every meal has long divided royal fans. Netflix's The Crown even made reference to the monarch's peculiar preference, with Camilla Parker Bowles (played by Emerald Fannell) telling a young Princess Diana: "They made the cardinal mistake of refusing to put a soft boiled egg on top."
WATCH: The Queen's daily diet: The late monarch's day on a plate
The Crown, of course, is a dramatised depiction of royal life - though there must be some truth behind King Charles' boiled egg demands for it to have made its way to the small screen?
In Jeremy Paxman's book On Royalty, the journalist makes reference to the royal's peculiar dining habit. He said: "Because [Charles'] staff were never quite sure whether the egg would be precisely to the satisfactory hardness, a series of eggs was cooked, and laid out in an ascending row of numbers."
READ: King Charles' 4 very unusual requests at royal banquets revealed - royal chef exclusive
King Charles has a set of peculiar dining quirks
In 2012, the Prince of Wales website FAQ section said: "Does The Prince of Wales have seven boiled eggs cooked for his breakfast but only eat one, as claimed in Jeremy Paxman's book On Royalty?
The answer read: "No, he doesn’t and never has done, at breakfast or any other time."
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Settling the debate, HELLO! sat down with Graham Tinsley MBE, former manager of the Welsh Culinary Team, who catered for royal state banquets on several occasions.
Debunking the myth, Graham said: "The [King] requires a side salad for every meal - and this salad was very precise.
The royal reportedly requests an egg and side salad with every meal
Charles is actually a fan of a coddled egg - a boiled egg that has only been cooked for about two to three minutes, and the unusual delicacy was always on the menu for him.
"Normally, a soft-boiled egg takes around five minutes. So imagine this coddled egg… it's going to be very, very soft. The royal required a coddled egg that was peeled and hidden beneath salad leaves. He would then mash his salad leaves into the eggs to make a dressing – a bit like mayonnaise," adds Graham.
SEE: Princess Anne's unique daily diet is very unroyal: From smoked fish to tinned pies
"Now, if you can imagine peeling an egg that's only been boiled for a few minutes – you'd have to make several at a time because you'd end up breaking them in the process!"
So there we have it. King Charles does indeed enjoy an egg with his meals… coddled, not boiled!
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