Kate Middleton's kitchen nightmare that left her ceiling green is something she'll never repeat again

The Princess of Wales once opened up to Dame Mary Berry about a major kitchen disaster

Catherine, Princess of Wales during a visit to Carrickfergus on October 06, 2022
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Kate Middleton's kitchen nightmare that left her ceiling green is a mistake she'll never risk repeating again.

From the rare glimpse we’ve seen of the Princess of Wales’s kitchen over the years it’s a haven with a traditional farm-house feel and the same is likely true of her current kitchen at Adelaide Cottage. She’s known to be a fan of getting stuck in with the cooking, making everything from teriyaki salmon to curries that she adjusts for Prince William. The Prince of Wales hasn’t shied away from discussing his own culinary disasters and credits Kate with taking “control” to help him out whenever his attempts to impress her with “fancy” dishes went awry. 

However, it seems his wife once had a disaster of her own and Kate’s kitchen nightmare is something she’ll never repeat again. Getting candid with Dame Mary Berry on the BBC’s A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019, Kate admitted to splattering her beautiful kitchen ceiling whilst making a very healthy-sounding spinach soup.

Kate Middleton visits the headquarters of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) on April 27, 2022

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A Royal Cookbook: Seasonal recipes from Buckingham Palace | Was £14.95, Now £12.55 at Amazon
£12.55 at Amazon

A Royal Cookbook: Seasonal recipes from Buckingham Palace | Was £14.95, Now £12.55 at Amazon

Filled with recipes and stunning illustrations, this is the first cookery book to come from within the Royal Household itself. Written by the Royal Chef, it gives you all the inspiration and details you need to recreate a selection of authentic dishes that were served to Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family.

As per the The Sun, she was helping Mary whip up some mocktails in a blender during the programme when she revealed that she’d once forgotten to put the lid on her own appliance.

“This is when you make sure you put the lid on,” she declared. “I did this with a spinach soup once and forgot to put the lid on it, and we ended up with spinach soup on the ceiling.”

The thought of green soup covering the kitchen ceiling of the Princess of Wales’s historic royal residence might be difficult to imagine. But her revelation showcased how she isn’t afraid to admit mistakes and it’s clear that this incident taught Kate a valuable lesson - always check you’ve secured the lid. Whether you prefer one of the best blenders or a juicer day-to-day, this is something we can all appreciate.

After creating the festive mocktails, the future Queen was also charmingly self-deprecating about her ability to carry the tray of finished drinks. She told Dame Mary that it reminded her of her time at university when she “did a bit of waitressing”, before confessing, “I was terrible”.

The Princess of Wales might not be overly impressed with either her spinach soup making or waitressing skills, but she’s not the only member of her family to have gone through a kitchen nightmare. Her mum Carole Middleton explained to The Telegraph in 2018 that her attempt to make a delicious risotto the first time she ever cooked for her husband Michael wasn’t plain-sailing. 

“I was trying to impress him with a mushroom risotto and it looked like grey porridge; it was very Bridget Jones,” she said.

Queen Camilla tries her hand at crafting a spring wreath during a visit to the recently restored Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings

(Image credit: Photo by Jacob King - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Angela Hartnett’s risotto features in Queen Camilla’s ideal last supper, as she revealed to You in an interview with her son Tom Parker Bowles. However, Her Majesty is used to another wholesome meal always going wrong for her when she tries to cook it herself.

She shared, “I could fill a book with all my cooking disasters. I’m not a natural baker, to say the least. As for baked potatoes… Many a poor, incinerated specimen has been found in the bottom of the Aga, put in, then forgotten about.”

From spinach soup going everywhere to “grey porridge” risotto and incinerated baked potatoes, the Princess of Wales, Carole and Queen Camilla have shown that it doesn’t matter how accomplished you are as a cook, a few culinary mistakes are just a part of life. 

Emma Shacklock

Emma is a Royal Editor with eight years experience working in publishing. Her specialist areas include the British Royal Family, ranging from protocol to outfits. Alongside putting her royal knowledge to good use, Emma knows all there is to know about the latest TV shows on the BBC, ITV and more. When she’s not writing about the next unmissable show to add to your to-watch list or delving into royal protocol, Emma enjoys cooking, long walks and watching yet more crime dramas!