Just to be clear: there’s likely not a big ol’ book of royal protocol sitting around anywhere, about foods members of the royal family avoid or otherwise.However, there are some foods—many of them staples in most people’s diets—that the royals avoid for various reasons.It makes Prince Harry’s aversion to lobster—which Meghan Markle revealed on the latest season of With Love, Meghan—more understandable.

In the brand new season of Netflix’s With Love, Meghan—which released all eight episodes earlier this week—Meghan Markle confessed to chef José Andrés that her husband Prince Harry doesn’t like lobster. To this, Andrés jokingly responded, “And you married him anyway?”

Meghan Markle in ‘With Love, Meghan’.

Jake Rosenberg/Netflix

While royal protocol shifts over time and is typically unwritten—and not recorded in a big book of royal rules somewhere deep in the walls of Buckingham Palace—there are a few foods that the royal family is known to avoid eating for various different reasons. One of these foods, actually, is shellfish, which former royal butler Grant Harrold told The Daily Express was because “When dining, the royal family has to be careful with shellfish due to shellfish poisoning. You will not normally find this on the royal menu.”

Shellfish—including prawns and crab—carry a higher risk of food poisoning, “as they’re often eaten uncooked and can accumulate bacteria from their surrounding water,” according to Hello!. Avoiding them is a way to “mitigate risk,” the outlet added.

Kate Middleton eating.
EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP/Getty

To mitigate the risk of offensive bad breath, royals also avoid garlic, a factoid confirmed by none other than Queen Camilla herself. While appearing on MasterChef Australia in 2018, when asked about prohibited royal foods, she said, “I hate to say this, but garlic. Garlic is a no-no.”

Charles and Camilla eating in San Francisco in 2005.

Also firmly on the “do not serve” list—but for a more ethical reason? Foie gras, the French delicacy that King Charles banned from being served at all royal residences, including Buckingham Palace.

Back in 2008—when he was still the Prince of Wales—Charles wrote an open letter to animal rights activists in which he said, “I just wanted to reassure you that the Prince of Wales has a policy that his chefs should not buy foie gras.”

Prince Louis eating a marshmallow in 2023.

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More surprisingly, royals also don’t take sugar with their tea, according to Harrold, who was a butler for Charles from 2004 to 2011. He said, per The Mirror, that he had never seen a member of the royal family choose to have sugar in their tea, despite being offered the chance to do so. 

Charles—who Hello! reported preferred to stay away from artificial sweeteners—adds honey to his tea instead. This is not surprising, as he has many beehives at his country home, Highgrove—a hobby his daughters-in-law Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have both picked up, too.

Meghan Markle and Princess Lilibet take part in beekeeping together.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

Charles is (missing one of the true pleasures in life and is) not a fan of chocolate, sticking with his theme of avoiding processed sugars. That wasn’t the same for Queen Elizabeth, Charles’s mother, “who reportedly had a big sweet tooth,” according to Hello!.

“Charles goes more for the fruit options,” former royal chef Darren McGrady previously explained. “He would much rather have an orange, olive oil tea cake, or banana bread.”

Also confounding? During her long life, Queen Elizabeth avoided starchy carbs like pasta, bread, and potatoes which—while the healthy route—surely robs one of life’s pleasures, right? Anyway, the late Queen preferred grilled fish or chicken with vegetables on the side, as well as avoiding heavy foods in midday meals to keep her energy up to tackle her ever-packed schedule. Makes sense.

Queen Elizabeth.

Princess Diana on her final birthday on July 1, 1997.

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Finally, royals also tend to avoid rare meats, according to Hello!, for much the same reason as they avoid shellfish: it reduces the risk of food poisoning and bacteria. McGrady shared that Princess Diana never ate red meat, aside from lamb when she was entertaining.

The more you know!