Princess Anne has a no-frills approach to life as a royal and this seemingly applies to her breakfasts too. Although we might imagine a luxurious spread being laid out for her at Gatcombe Park, the King’s sister is said to enjoy a simple bowl of fruit instead.
However, whilst it might sound like a very easy-to-prepare choice, this apparently isn’t the case at all. As reported by Hello!, former royal chef Darren McGrady previously suggested to Today that the Princess Royal “almost always” preferred completely black bananas.
Waiting for the fruit to ripen is one thing, holding out for this is quite another and the Princess’s alleged preference won’t be for everyone. According to Darren, though, there’s a reason for this and the bananas were also prepared just-so.
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“[Princess Anne] almost always preferred the bananas almost black – overripe – because they digest easier,” he claimed, before adding, “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 final piece of the breakfast puzzle is supposedly slicing the overripe banana into “circles” before it’s “eaten with a fork”. In the past, Darren McGrady has alleged that this was exactly the same way that Queen Elizabeth ate them.
Whether or not the late monarch also ate them quite that overripe isn’t known, but Princess Anne might be on to something. As reported by the Leicester Bowel Clinic in January 2025, as bananas ripen, the resistant starch “converts into simple sugars, making them easier to digest”.
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Even so, as someone who prefers this fruit on the green side, I’m not sure I’ll be trying Her Royal Highness’ go-to “almost black” bananas anytime soon. Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the only specific fruit-related habit she has.
As per the Daily Mail, in Robert Hardman’s bestselling royal biography, Queen Of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II, Zara Tindall reportedly explained that her mother “always has a kiwi fruit” with her when she’s on the go.
Kiwis are high in Vitamin C and Vitamin K, as well as fibre and antioxidants. Robert alleged that the Princess Royal often prefers to eat a kiwi instead of having a full lunch.
Fruit seems to be a staple in her diet at all times of day and the idea that Princess Anne could be carrying a kiwi around with her in her handbag is brilliant. It’s a good source of sustenance when she’s busy and the senior royal is known to be one of the most hard-working members of the Royal Family.
Her schedule is always packed full of engagements and she is incredibly open about how she wants the focus to be on the organisations and charities she visits, rather than on her. In August, the Princess Royal will turn 75 and instead of celebrating with a party, she hosted more than 100 organisations at Buckingham Palace this month.
“This personifies what Her Royal Highness cares about,” declared a palace source to The Telegraph. “She didn’t want to do anything for her birthday but bring her charities together to hear more about their work and how she can help them.”
