Royal life may come with lavish banquets and formal state dinners, but some members of The Firm are just as happy with a pint at the local pub or a fast-food combo meal.
Prince William has spoken candidly about his appreciation for a traditional British boozer, while Prince Harry has revealed a taste for Nando’s and US burger chain In-N-Out.
Several other members of the Royal Family, however, have also built up a reputation for visiting some of the capital’s more sophisticated dining destinations.
Last week, the Duchess of Sussex stopped for lunch at The Park, close to Kensington Palace. The restaurant is an upscale, mid-century Manhattan-inspired grand cafe. The previous week, she enjoyed an elegant afternoon tea at Claridge’s in Mayfair alongside Malala Yousafzai.
Her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, was also a fan of notable London restaurants. She particularly loved the now-closed Italian bistro San Lorenzo and Chelsea favourite La Famiglia, where she shared a meal with William only weeks before her death.
In recent months, the future of the discreet west London restaurant has been thrown into uncertainty after a neighbour’s noise complaints put the venue’s garden at risk of having to close earlier.
Although the restaurant holds a licence allowing it to operate until midnight, it has temporarily cut garden service to 11pm and even stopped singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to diners outdoors. High-profile names including Eric Clapton and Barbara Broccoli are now supporting the venue in its ongoing legal dispute.
From royal-approved takeaways and casual diners to much-loved pubs, here is where fans can eat and drink like the royals themselves.
Princess Diana was a regular admirer of Chelsea Italian restaurant La Famiglia, where she ate with William just weeks before her death
Prince William
Mike Tindall affectionately calls him ‘One Pint Willy’, joking that the Prince of Wales is ‘not the best of drinkers’. Even so, William enjoys the occasional pint in a traditional British pub, where he can relax away from the formality of royal duties.
In June, he made an unexpected visit to The Prince of Peckham, a popular south London pub, to highlight the important role local venues play in bringing communities together.
William even pulled a reasonably convincing pint at the royal-themed pub while backing efforts to preserve Britain’s struggling pubs. With many disappearing from communities around the country, he said they must be ‘protected’.
He said: ‘I love pubs. I want to do as much as I can to support pubs because I love the community. We need to protect our pubs.’
The future king described pubs as ‘the glue and fabric’ of local communities, adding: ‘It’s the people – the team – around a pub that make it.’
In October last year, William took a drink at his local pub, the Two Brewers in Windsor, alongside Schitt’s Creek actor Eugene Levy for the travel series The Reluctant Traveller.
Known affectionately as ‘One Pint Willy’ thanks to Mike Tindall, the Prince of Wales has repeatedly spoken about his affection for British pubs and the need to preserve them
In 2023, ahead of King Charles’s coronation, William and Kate travelled by Tube to the historic Dog and Duck pub in Soho
William’s unexpected appearance created what has since been dubbed ‘The William Effect’, with royal enthusiasts turning up in large numbers to claim a place at the pub’s so-called ‘royal table’ or ‘King’s corner’.
A month later, staff at the Walnut Tree Inn, a country pub in Mere, Wiltshire, were left astonished when the future monarch arrived with members of his royal entourage.
Owner William Friend-James told the Daily Mail that the Prince of Wales opted to order the homemade Walnut Tree burger and fries, as well as a lemonade.
The £18.95 burger – which comes with a brioche bun, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, gherkin, onion marmalade, burger sauce, coleslaw and fries – has since been renamed the Prince William Burger in honour of their guest.
In 2023, shortly before King Charles’s coronation, the down-to-earth Prince and Princess of Wales travelled via Tube to the historic Dog and Duck pub in Soho, taking time to pull pints and make light conversation with hospitality staff.
‘Expertly done,’ pub manager Chris Watts praised the prince. ‘Not really,’ William joked, as he pulled the pump repeatedly. ‘I’ve not got too much experience of pulling pints. I’m not too bad at drinking pints, but pulling pints…’
Prince Harry
Prince Harry is said to be a fan of casual burger chains and drive-thrus. Here, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured leaving Italian restaurant Locanda Verde in New York City
Harry’s go-to order at the American fast-food chain is believed to be the Double Double, with fries and a Coke, while his wife orders a cheeseburger, fries and a side of jalapenos
While Prince Harry may have grown up around the glitz and glamour of royalty, casual burger chains and drive-thrus are a firm favourite of the Duke of Sussex.
In September 2023, Harry and Meghan were pictured stopping to buy food from the popular American chain In-N-Out burger near to their former $14.6million Montecito home.
Meghan previously discussed the couple’s love for the burger joint, revealing that the pair enjoyed ‘surprising’ the staff at the one close to their home.
‘There’s one at the halfway point between LA and our neck of the woods. It’s really fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them,’ she told Variety in 2022. ‘They know our order,’ she said.
Harry’s go-to order at the fast-food spot is believed to be the Double Double, with fries and a Coke, while his wife orders a cheeseburger, fries and a side of jalapenos.
Prior to meeting Meghan, Harry would often frequent the Hollywood Arms, a cozy neighbourhood pub in Chelsea that was even reported to hold a special ‘secret entrance’ for the prince.
He was also said to have been a particularly big fan of the BBQ ribs served at American-style restaurant Sticky Fingers on Kensington High Street, owned by former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.
The UK classic Nando’s also featured high on Harry’s list of favourite eateries prior to his move to California, with the prince believed to have been introduced to the chicken chain by his police protection officer. His go-to sauce? The mild lemon and herb option.
The duke was often spotted ordering a midnight takeaway at the popular restaurant’s Fulham branch in 2013, and revealed in his memoir Spare that he even ate Nando’s chicken while Meghan was giving birth to Prince Archie in 2019.
Since returning back to Britain, Harry and Meghan were spotted enjoying lunch at The Falkland Arms in Great Tew, Oxfordshire. The pub is a short two-mile walk from Soho Farmhouse and near where David and Victoria Beckham own a £12million home in the Cotswolds.
Meghan Markle
Meghan, pictured in Claridge’s with Malala, has shown a tendency to dine at some of the more luxurious restaurants on offer in both the UK and California. Image source: Instagram/Meghan
In Montecito, she was a frequent diner at celeb-favourite Tre Lune, an Italian restaurant known for its famously pricey menu and extensive wine list
The Duchess of Sussex has shown a tendency to dine at some of the more luxurious restaurants on offer in both the UK and California.
While living in Montecito, Meghan often dined at Italian restaurant Tre Lune – a celebrity favourite known for its famously expensive menu, which features a tableside Cheese Wheel Cacio e Pepe and highly acclaimed wine list.
The royal enjoyed a spot of lunch with tennis star Serena Williams there in March last year; she, Prince Harry and their friend, actor Matt Cohen, also went for a meal at the luxury eatery to celebrate her 42nd birthday in August 2023.
Meghan has been spotted dining at vegan Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre in Los Angeles too, famous for its wet burritos, jackfruit tacos and plantain French toast.
Showcasing her love for the finer dining spots in New York, the duchess was spotted eating out at Ralph Lauren’s swanky The Polo Bar on Fifth Avenue on two occasions: during her baby shower trip in 2019 and once again in August last year.
Two years before she met Prince Harry, Meghan penned an ode to New York City and its culinary cuisine in a 2014 post featured on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig.
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The known foodie included a list of her favourite restaurants in the post, ‘whether I have five days in the city or just 32 hours’, including Rubirosa, a pizza spot on Mulberry Street, and Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous restaurant that features views of Central Park.
Since returning to the UK, Meghan has been spotted dining at some of Britain’s most luxurious spots – including a lavish afternoon tea at Claridge’s with Malala Yousafzai on October 7.
The pair dined in the hotel’s world-famous Foyer and Reading Room, where afternoon tea costs £95 per person. Champagne is available for £30 more but Malala, a Muslim who does not drink alcohol, and Meghan appeared to stick to tea and mineral water.
Set in Claridge’s famed Art Deco interiors and accompanied by live piano music, it is one of Mayfair’s most exclusive and celebrated dining rooms.
Princess Diana
The late Princess of Wales was a loyal fan of Italian eatery San Lorenzo in Knightsbridge, which she is pictured leaving in 1994
Diana’s love for Italian cuisine was well-known, with the princess also frequently dining at La Famiglia in Chelsea
The late Princess of Wales was a firm fan of Italian eatery San Lorenzo in Knightsbridge – which counted a dazzling array of other A-listers among its customers.
The stylish restaurant in London’s affluent Knightsbridge area served the rich and famous for six decades, becoming known as one of the world’s premier celebrity hangouts.
Located just a stone’s throw from Harrods and Harvey Nichols in Beauchamp Place, its most devoted customer Princess Diana would often take William and Harry for lunch there.
While the restaurant was in its heyday before Diana’s tragic death, it was closed when the pandemic started but failed to reopen. It remained empty until 2024 when it was taken over by 15 squatters.
The princess’s love for Italian dining spots was well known, as she often ate at La Famiglia in Chelsea too – where she and William were photographed together on August 21, 1997, just ten days before she died.
The homely Tuscan restaurant is currently engulfed in a large noise row, with celebrities lining up to save the beloved spot’s gardens.
Other popular spots the late princess was known to frequent included Launceston Place in Kensington, a Michelin-starred restaurant famous for its British and French fine-dining set in a cozy townhouse.
Diana also tended to visit pizza spot Da Maro in South Kensington, alongside L’Escargot in Soho, and Hotel Cafe Royal on Regent Street – a historic five-star hotel where she would often stay.
Famous for its afternoon tea and fine dining, Diana was said to have enjoyed many lunches in the hotel cafe’s historic Oscar Wilde room.
King Charles and Queen Camilla
The King and Queen made their first official public debut as a couple on January 28, 1999, at London’s The Ritz Hotel following a 50th birthday party for Camilla’s sister
The Ritz is widely known as one of Charles’s favourite restaurants and remains the only hotel to have been granted a royal warrant for its banqueting and catering services
The King and Queen made their first official public debut as a couple on January 28, 1999, at London’s The Ritz Hotel following a 50th birthday party for Camilla’s sister.
Renowned for its two-Michelin-star dining, the Ritz is widely known to be one of Charles’s favourite restaurants and remains the only hotel to have been granted a royal warrant for its banqueting and catering services.
King Charles is also recognised to be a firm fan of Mount St Restaurant, popular for its signature lobster pie, as well as Brilliant restaurant in Southall, west London.
Visited by His Majesty on two separate occasions, the family-run Punjabi and Kenyan-influenced eatery closed its doors in April last year after 50 years of service, and its legacy continues through Brilliant Gastro by Dipna Anand on the same site.
Queen Elizabeth II
The late Queen is most famously associated with discreet Mayfair eatery Bellamy’s, which offers pricey caviar and serves Minstrels with its coffee
Tucked away on a quiet mews, the upscale French brasserie hosted the late monarch twice since it opened in 2004
In 1956, Her Majesty made history when she stepped out for dinner at Modern European restaurant Quaglino’s in the heart of the capital with Prince Philip and the Queen Mother
The late Queen is most famously associated with discreet Mayfair eatery Bellamy’s – which offers pricey caviar and serves Minstrels with its coffee.
Tucked away on a quiet mews, the upscale French brasserie hosted the late monarch twice since it opened in 2004.
Her first visit, in 2006, was for her 80th birthday, when her dear friend and former Lady-In-Waiting to the Queen Mother, Lady Penn, hired the 70-cover restaurant for a private party that evening.
In 2016, she was back again to have dinner with her daughter Princess Anne and her cousin Princess Alexandra.
The following year, Her Majesty was spotted enjoying dinner at the original 1917 Ivy in London’s Covent Garden for a close friend’s birthday – a rare public restaurant outing.
However, this was not the first time that the late Queen had been spotted enjoying a spot of dinner beyond the confines of the palace.
In 1956, Her Majesty made history when she stepped out for dinner at Modern European restaurant Quaglino’s in the heart of the capital with Prince Philip and the Queen Mother.
Queen Elizabeth broke royal protocol by becoming the first reigning British monarch to eat in a public restaurant, dining in its famous Art Deco underground room which is well known for its jazz music, blues and cabaret.
And though rumours suggested she had enjoyed Eggs Royale for her dinner, the details of her meal remained private.
The restaurant later went on to host other royals, including Princess Margaret – who had a permanently reserved private table called the Royal Enclosure.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
Last December, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were seen at Mayfair’s exclusive Mount St. Restaurant, which is also known to be a favourite of King Charles
The daughters of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson are no strangers to London’s upmarket dining and brunch spots.
Last December, the two sisters were seen dining at Mayfair’s exclusive Mount St Restaurant, famed for its British staple dishes and private dining rooms.
In fact, Beatrice and Eugenie are known to frequent several other food venues in Mayfair, including Latin and Mediterranean eatery Isabel’s.
Last year, the sisters stepped out for the launch of luxury Mr Porter Steakhouse, situated on the area’s affluent Park Lane. Formerly the location of the popular Trader Vic, the steakhouse describes itself as ‘extravagant yet modest’, and a restaurant that ‘fearlessly explores the borders between dinner and sinner’.
Guests can expect to dine on premium steaks, lobster, chips and ‘perfectly poured’ cocktails.
And in Notting Hill, the princesses are said to enjoy spots such as Eel Sushi Bar and Dorian, a Michelin-starred bistro that’s beloved by David and Victoria Beckham.