Balmoral has for generations served as the Royal Family’s cherished summer retreat, a Highland haven where formal palace routines give way to fresh air, open countryside and a slower seasonal rhythm.
Yet, as a former royal chef has recalled, not every family member approached life outdoors in quite the same way. Prince Philip was said to take command of the barbecue, while Princess Anne reportedly stepped into the kitchen as the unofficial head chef.
This year, the 50,000-acre Aberdeenshire estate is due to shut its doors to visitors from August 10 until October, clearing the way for the Royal Family’s traditional summer residence.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to host the annual gathering, with the Prince and Princess of Wales also anticipated to attend alongside their three children.
For the late Queen Elizabeth II, Balmoral held deep personal significance, becoming the backdrop to countless summers spent there with her husband, the late Prince Philip.
Their connection to the estate stretched back to the earliest days of their marriage, with the couple spending part of their 1947 honeymoon at Birkhall, a hunting lodge within the Balmoral grounds.
Although Balmoral is often linked with long-standing royal customs and country-house formality, former royal chef Darren McGrady has offered a glimpse of a more relaxed side to family life there, where meals were sometimes a notably practical affair.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady has said family meals at Balmoral could be unexpectedly hands-on. Pictured from left: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with their children Princess Anne, Prince Charles (right) and Prince Andrew on his first holiday to Balmoral in 1960
McGrady, who spent 15 years working for the Royal Family, recalled how some members would get involved in preparing barbeques and meals during their time at Balmoral.
Princess Anne, he said, would regularly head down to the kitchen and ask what she could prepare.
He said: ‘You’d often get Princess Anne come down to the kitchen and say: “I’m in charge of the first course tonight, what can I take?”‘
Prince Philip, meanwhile, was said to be particularly enthusiastic about cooking and would take responsibility for the main course.
McGrady said the late royal consort was ‘the most passionate of cooks in the kitchen’, adding that the Duke of Edinburgh loved heading outdoors to cook during barbeques at Balmoral.
‘He loved to cook and cared about foods and recipes. He’d go on to ask what we could marinate them with and what vegetables were in the garden,’ the chef added.
Philip was also said to have shared his son Charles’s appreciation for fresh, locally grown produce.
According to McGrady, he would walk around the gardens to see what was available before deciding what to use for the family meal.
Pictured: Princess Anne, her son Peter Phillips and Queen Elizabeth II, at Balmoral on 20th November 1979
McGrady claimed Diana, Princess of Wales, ‘didn’t like Balmoral at all’, saying the outdoorsy nature of the estate did not suit her
As reported by FoodBible, he added: ‘He’d often walk the gardens and see what was in there. He loved local produce. Then he would be in charge of cooking the main course.’
Prince Edward, meanwhile, was given the all-important task of preparing dessert.
The Duke of Edinburgh would reportedly opt for pancakes, with royal staff preparing the batter before he filled them with fruit picked from the estate.
‘He’d want to fill them with things like raspberries or strawberries from the garden with ice cream,’ McGrady said.
The chef described the meals as an all-round family effort, with the royals apparently happy to get involved rather than simply sitting back and being served, adding that they ‘weren’t afraid to let their hair down and get stuck in.’
However, not every member of the family was as fond of life in the Balmoral countryside.
McGrady claimed Diana, Princess of Wales, ‘didn’t like Balmoral at all’, saying the outdoorsy nature of the estate did not suit her.
He added that the late royal was not particularly keen on horse riding after falling from a horse when she was young, meaning she largely avoided the estate’s equestrian activities.
The chef continued: ‘For her, the closest she would get was pulling and walking William [Prince of Wales] with his little Shetland pony, Smokey, around the estate. That was as close as she got to the horses.’
Diana was also said to have preferred the routine of life in Kensington, where she could go to bed and wake up early.
McGrady claimed she would normally have dinner at around 6.30pm, but the Balmoral schedule could make that difficult.
He said: ‘Dinner for her was 6.30pm, but if the royal family were dining, she couldn’t go to eat or go to bed at her usual time. They would often go out to the hills and didn’t come back until 11pm at night.’
