Royal mums' strange pregnancy cravings: from Princess Kate's spicy dish to Meghan Markle's healthy snack

The Princess of Wales

Pregnant women are often told that spicy food can help induce labour leading up to one's due date, but it appears Kate was enjoying a hint of spice in her diet throughout her pregnancy with Prince George.

The royal indulged in a homemade vegetable curry cooked for her by Indian couple Chan and Hash Shingadia, who runs the Spar shop in Kate's village of Upper Bucklebury, Berkshire. 

"She likes my wife's cooking," said 53-year-old Hash at the time. "We cook for her mum and family," and Chan hinted that the dish was a vegetarian one. "I'm vegetarian, I only cook vegetarian curry."

According to Us Weekly, Prince William's wife was also partial to pizza while pregnant with her second child, Princess Charlotte. The publication revealed how she ordered three pizzas to her suite at New York's Carlyle hotel which included spicy sausage and prosciutto toppings.

The Princess struggled with morning sickness during her third pregnancy with Prince Louis. Kate would eat a thinly sliced pickle on brown toast to remedy the sickness and was also partial to an avocado. 

Meghan Markle

Meghan's devout following of a healthy lifestyle is no secret and her pregnancy with Prince Archie was no exception. 

In the co-authored royal biography Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie penned: "Meghan's mum Doria had arrived at Frogmore Cottage to help her daughter prepare for the birth…Harry was constantly looking after his wife as well, making sure she was physically comfortable and getting her snacks.

"Guacamole and crudites were as close as she got to junk food," he added. "Not because she doesn't like it; she just didn't crave it.

Prince Harry did however reveal that he and his wife indulged in a takeaway shortly before the birth of their daughter, Princess Lilibet.

In his memoir Spare, the Prince wrote: "We drove calmly, sanely to the hospital, where our bodyguards once again fed us. This time they brought burgers and fries from In-N-Out. And fajitas from a local Mexican restaurant for Meg.

"We ate and ate and then did the Baby Mama dance around the hospital room. Nothing but joy and love in that room," Harry added.

Princess Diana

Back in 2012, the MailOnline revealed what the late Princess Diana had craved during her pregnancy with Prince William.

In a note to her chef Mervyn Wycherley, Diana wrote: "To Mervie, please could I have a bacon sandwich for breakfast and a much-needed rest from our friend the tomato! D."

It was a dose of salty protein for the royal but tomatoes were firmly off the menu.

Sarah Ferguson

The MailOnline also revealed the Duchess of York's unusual pregnancy craving while expecting Princess Beatrice. In 1988, Sarah was said to have eaten a lot of cheeseburgers and mayonnaise, plus mackerel sandwiches. 

It was also reported that the then-wife of Prince Andrew continued to enjoy the odd glass of champagne.

Princess Beatrice

Sarah Ferguson's daughters own pregnancy cravings with her now two-year-old daughter Sienna have gone unreported. However, in an interview with HELLO!, celebrity nutritional therapist Gabriela Peacock, who has worked with Princess Beatrice, recommended probiotic foods, such as natural live yoghurt or sauerkraut for mothers-to-be, as well as ginger tea to combat morning sickness.

"I don't think you need to eat for two, but it's important to lean into your cravings – as long as you balance them with a healthy meal composition," Gabriela said. "It's common during pregnancy for women to eat a lot of carbs, but there are choices of carbohydrates.

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"If you have pasta, have wholegrain, chickpea, or pea pasta. And focus on eating protein with these carbohydrate cravings. Try switching the toppings, so if you don’t feel like chicken, try vegetarian sauces, tofu, or bolognese."