Prince William’s go-to dish to ‘impress’ Kate Middleton was part of special royal childhood tradition

Prince William’s go-to dish to “impress” Kate in the early days of their romance was also part of a special childhood tradition.

Whilst we might be used to seeing the Royal Family excel at everything from sports to speaking multiple languages, Prince William has always been open about his somewhat limited culinary skills. In the Prince and Princess of Wales’s engagement interview they reflected on how there were often moments of "angst" when he attempted to make complicated meals for her at university. 

However, Prince William’s go-to dish to really “impress” Kate is something that is part of a special childhood tradition. His cousin Princess Eugenie recently explained that the same pasta-based dish is something that the royal children used to enjoy whilst the adults ate “grown-up tea” instead.

Sharing several food-based revelations during an appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Table Manners podcast, Princess Eugenie got candid about the divide between adults and children when it came to what they ate. According to her, Spaghetti Bolognese was the kind of dish the little ones would often tuck into.

“Tea was at five - only ever around like 45 minutes so you couldn’t go stir crazy and then we go running everywhere afterwards like crazy people,” she explained, before confirming it was served everyday and being asked what was on the menu. 

“Well it was children’s tea as well as grown-up tea,” Princess Eugenie said. “So like for the kids it was, I don’t know, Spaghetti Bolognese - that was like kids’ tea when we were growing up and then grown-up tea was like sandwiches, little cakes.”

The King’s niece went on to share that she’s kept the 5pm teatime going as it’s a “tradition from growing up for my family and all the generations have had tea”.

Whilst she might not have mentioned Prince William specifically, this final remark does suggest that he had a similar experience. Her reference to the kids “running everywhere” could also be referencing experiences when all the late Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren were together, not just her and Princess Beatrice.

Either way, Spaghetti Bolognese went on to become Prince William’s go-to dish to “impress” Kate. She shared this with baking icon Dame Mary Berry when the couple appeared on her A Very Berry Christmas special in 2019.

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Asked whether the Prince of Wales ever cooked for her, she replied, “He sometimes does, actually. He’s very good at breakfast. In our university days he used to cook all sorts of meals. I think that’s when he was trying to impress me, Mary. Things like Bolognese sauce.”

He certainly seems to have made an impression with his Spaghetti Bolognese as Kate still fondly remembers him making it for her. When it comes to the royal children’s teatime classic, though, Prince William’s verdict is that his version is not necessarily the tastiest even if it still holds a special place in Kate’s heart.

The Prince of Wales shared his recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese in the foreword of a cookbook, A Taste of Home. This was released to mark the 40 year anniversary of The Passage which provides support to people who are homeless to help them transform their lives. 

He described a particular visit where he was helping to cut vegetables in the kitchen, writing,  “On that occasion I ‘made’ a Spaghetti Bolognese (recipe on page 101). The dish smelt amazing – probably because I didn't cook it.”