Was Princess Diana a Vegan? Examining Her Diet
Princess Diana's lifestyle choices, including her diet, remain a topic of public fascination decades after her passing. While many people believe the Princess of Wales adhered to a strict vegetarian or even vegan diet, the reality, according to those who knew her best, is more nuanced. Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who cooked for Diana for four years at Kensington Palace, has frequently clarified her eating habits. The simple answer is no, she was not a vegan, though she was an early adopter of healthy, plant-forward eating. Her personal diet included fish, dairy, and other animal products, setting her apart from a truly vegan lifestyle.
The Royal's Predominantly Plant-Based Approach
After overcoming her struggles with an eating disorder, Diana took a proactive and health-conscious approach to her food. She worked closely with Chef McGrady to devise a low-fat, nutritious menu. She would famously tell him, 'You take care of the fat, and I'll take care of the carbs at the gym'. This led her to prefer poached chicken or fish over heavier roasted meats and oil-roasted potatoes.
Her favorite dishes were often vegetarian, including stuffed eggplant and her beloved stuffed bell peppers, which she requested several times a week. She enjoyed vegetable juices and overnight oats long before they became mainstream health trends. However, these meals often contained dairy, such as the mozzarella and parmesan in her stuffed peppers or the Greek yogurt and honey in her overnight oats.
A Crossover Diet: More Than Just Vegetables
While vegetarian meals were a staple, Diana's diet was not exclusively plant-based. She completely eliminated red meat, like beef and pork, from her diet but occasionally indulged in other animal proteins. According to McGrady, she enjoyed fish, with rainbow trout being her preferred choice, and would occasionally have chicken liver and onions. On rare occasions, she would also enjoy lamb, such as when she requested it for a dinner with Clint Eastwood. Her diet is best described as pescatarian, with some allowance for other light meats, rather than strictly vegetarian or vegan.
A Comparison of Diets: Vegan vs. Diana
To understand why Princess Diana was not a vegan, it's helpful to compare the strict requirements of a vegan diet with the known components of her eating habits. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Princess Diana's diet was a health-conscious modification of a traditional British diet, incorporating many plant-based foods but not eliminating all animal-derived ingredients.
| Feature | Vegan Diet | Princess Diana's Diet | Why She Wasn't Vegan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meat | No | No beef or pork, but occasional lamb or liver | Did not fully exclude meat products. |
| Fish | No | Yes, particularly rainbow trout | Consumption of fish is a clear distinction. |
| Dairy | No | Yes, cheese in stuffed peppers, yogurt in oats | Regular use of dairy products. |
| Eggs | No | Yes, poached eggs in Eggs Suzette | Enjoyed dishes containing eggs. |
| Focus | Eliminating all animal products | Healthy, low-fat eating with vegetarian focus | Motivation was health, not total animal product elimination. |
Diana's Favorite Meals
Her diet was a reflection of her down-to-earth personality and commitment to wellness. Her request for dishes like stuffed peppers and eggs Suzette showed a preference for simple, elegant, and wholesome food. Her embrace of vegetable juices and overnight oats also demonstrated a forward-thinking approach to nutrition that was ahead of its time.
Favorite Dishes and Habits:
- Stuffed Bell Peppers and Eggplant: A frequent request, typically filled with vegetables, rice, and cheese.
- Poached Chicken: A healthy, low-fat alternative to roasted chicken.
- Rainbow Trout: Her favorite fish, often prepared simply.
- Homemade Vegetable Juices: An early adoption of the juicing trend, combining carrots, spinach, and parsley.
- Eggs Suzette: A baked potato dish with spinach, a poached egg, and a touch of hollandaise.
- Overnight Oats: A healthy breakfast she discovered in Switzerland and requested daily.
Conclusion: Health, Not Veganism, Was the Priority
While Princess Diana's diet included a significant number of plant-based meals and she consciously avoided red meat, she was not a vegan. Her consumption of fish, dairy, and eggs, along with occasional other meats, places her diet in a different category. Her focus was on maintaining a healthy, balanced, and low-fat diet, which was part of her broader wellness journey. The myth that she was vegan can be attributed to her general preference for lighter, more plant-focused foods, but the details from her private chef paint a more complete picture of her dietary choices. For more insights into the eating habits of the royal family, Chef McGrady's website is a fantastic resource.
Additional Insights
Chef McGrady's accounts also reveal Diana's down-to-earth nature, including her habit of sometimes eating in the kitchen with staff and enjoying comfort food like bread and butter pudding on occasion, especially with her sons. This further illustrates that her diet, while health-focused, was also flexible and reflected her personal preferences rather than a rigid ideological restriction.
