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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Abigail O'Leary

Queen's chef who joked about keeping Princess Diana 'on the front pages' dies at 66

The Queen's chef who said he kept Diana "on the front pages" has died at the age of 66.

Graham Newbould worked at Buckingham Palace and on the Queen's much-loved Royal Yacht Britannia from 1980 to 1982.

He then moved on to work for King Charles and Princess Diana at Kensington Palace for another four and a half years until 1987.

The Michelin-star chef, from Wakefield, Yorkshire, also had a successful career at different establishments.

In a Channel 5 documentary in 2005 entitled Secrets of the Royal Kitchens, Newbould took viewers behind the scenes and revealed tips and tricks for keeping the royal household fed.

He also revealed little-known facts about the late Queen and the family's food habits.

Graham Newbould worked at Buckingham Palace and on the Queen's much-loved Royal Yacht Britannia from 1980 to 1982 (Daily Mirror)
Graham revealed little-known facts about the late Queen and the family's food habits (Getty Images)

Mr Newbould also revealed how Princess Diana would have him cook jacket potatoes for Prince William and Prince Harry, and how the Queen would enjoy her own version of fish and chips at the Palace.

Once asked if he was responsible for Diana's slim figure, he quipped how he was the one keeping Diana "on the front pages."

His last job was cooking for the Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey.

Thanks to Mr Newbould, it was revealed how the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip would start the day with a traditional English breakfast at 8am, and would have lunch served at 1.15pm, high tea at 5pm and dinner at 8.15pm.

He said: "Everything had to be well-presented and elegant. But they weren’t too mad about decoration, so you might just serve flaked salmon on a plate with mayonnaise."

Graham went on to work for Charles and Diana, saying the Princess would ask him to make jacket potatoes for William and Harry (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Graham also once joked how he was keeping Diana on 'the front pages' when asked about her slim figure (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Mr Newbould also revealed how garlic was banned from the royal table, and that the Queen would delight in enjoying her own version of fish and chips, called Haddock St Germain, made from small pieces of pan-fried haddock in breadcrumbs with chips and Béarnaise sauce.

Unlike his parents, he told how King Charles would not start the day with a cooked breakfast, but instead ate 'a glass of freshly squeezed orange or apple juice and a small bowl of fresh fruit salad.

Diana went on to work for Diana and Charles after working in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace (Getty Images)

He added: "Then he would have muesli with six different types of dried fruit, apricots, peaches, figs, plums, apples and pears, served with milk from the Royal Dairy at Windsor.

"He would then have granary toast with six different types of honey. He would cut his toast up and try a little bit of honey on each."

Mr Newbould himself was married twice, having had a son and a daughter for his first marriage, and a son with his second wife, Heather.

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