It’s one of the longest-standing debates in Britain – which has two counties in particular locked in an everlasting battle over who’s correct. So, does jam really go on the scone before the cream? Or should it always be cream first? Well, it looks like Prince William may finally have the answer.

During a recent radio interview, the Prince of Wales was asked about his own preference. In Devon, it’s cream before jam, and Cornwall, it’s the other way around. Both counties are adament theirs is the one and only acceptable way. Now, we know the method Prince William follows, which he revealed was passed down to him by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

london, england june 05: queen elizabeth ii and prince william, duke of cambridge on the balcony of buckingham palace after the service of thanksgiving at st.paul’s cathedral on june 5, 2012 in london, england. for only the second time in its history the uk celebrates the diamond jubilee of a monarch. her majesty queen elizabeth ii celebrates the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. thousands of wellwishers from around the world have flocked to london to witness the spectacle of the weekends celebrations. (photo by oli scarff/getty images)

Oli Scarff

‘I love that I’m the authority on scones,’ Prince Williiam laughed when the age-old question was put to him. For an answer, he turned to the wisdom of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Is there anyone with more authority on afternoon tea etiquette than Her Majesty?

‘I can only tell you what I learned from my grandmother,’ he told Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston during a special episode of their morning radio show. ‘She had the cream on first. Cream on first, jam on top.’

However, the Prince was quick to add a diplomatic disclaimer that, ‘It tastes delicious either way.’ We couldn’t agree more.

perth, australia october 27: queen elizabeth ii receives scones from the clontarf kitchen during her visit to clontarf aboriginal college on october 27, 2011 in perth, australia. the queen and duke of edinburgh are on a 10 day visit to australia and will travel to canberra, brisbane, and melbourne before heading to perth for the commonwealth heads of government meeting. this is the queens 16th official visit to australia. (photo by sharon smith pool/getty images)

Pool

And it turns out scones isn’t the only thing the family enjoys putting jam on. During the interview, Prince William shared details of the daily school run, and revealed how he and the Princess keep their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis -entertained on the journey.

‘There’s a lot of jam sandwiches taken in the car usually,’ he revealed, adding that, ‘Louis will leave jam fingerprints throughout the car, which is really helpful.’

london, england june 02: prince george, prince louis and princess charlotte in the carriage procession at trooping the colour during queen elizabeth ii platinum jubilee on june 02, 2022 in london, england. the platinum jubilee of elizabeth ii is being celebrated from june 2 to june 5, 2022, in the uk and commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of queen elizabeth ii on 6 february 1952. trooping the colour, also known as the queens birthday parade, is a military ceremony performed by regiments of the british army that has taken place since the mid 17th century. it marks the official birthday of the british sovereign. this year, from june 2 to june 5, 2022, there is the added celebration of the platinum jubilee of elizabeth ii in the uk and commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne on 6 february 1952. (photo by karwai tang/wireimage)

Karwai Tang

Prince William joined Amanda and Jamie last month as co-host for a one-off episode of Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden. The trio were broadcasting live from the Isles of Scilly, where Prince William was visiting to support and learn more about the local hospital, and other parts of island life.

A trained RAF pilot, the Prince also revealed that he still flies his helicopter and has flown to the Isles of Scilly multiple times before although, on this occasion, he’d been brought over by another pilot. He also explained it was a special location to him as he spent time there with his parents – King Charles and the late Princess Diana – as a child.