Princess Anne's frugal Christmas menu is surprisingly pared-back

Katie Daly
·2 min read
Princess Anne with christmas dinner background
Princess Anne's frugal Christmas menu is surprisingly pared-back (Getty)

Princess Anne's diary has been full all year of royal engagements meaning she keeps on top of her health with a balanced diet and exercise routine.

Many treat Christmas as a time to indulge in glorious home-cooked fare and if the likes of King Charles and Prince William's choice of roast turkey and plenty of stuffing is anything to go by, the royals are no different.

Princess Anne wearing red coat and lipstick
Anne follows a healthy diet (Getty)

However, the Princess Royal is known to stick to a healthy diet and though royal fans anticipate her return to Sandringham for the annual royal festivities, her own Christmas menu would no doubt be more minimalist.

Get the lowdown on Princess Anne's Christmas menu in all its health-conscious glory…

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Breakfast

Mornings for Princess Anne are all about kicking her metabolism into gear so she reportedly eats a healthy sweet snack that many of us couldn't stomach.

Rotting Ripe Bananas
Princess Anne eats her bananas over ripened (Getty)

The mother of two is said to tuck into bananas well past their sell-by date. "[Princess Anne] almost always preferred the bananas almost black - overripe - because they digest easier," Former royal chef Darren McGrady previously told TODAY.

Lunch

Though a full roast is the chosen dish for the Prince and Princess of Wales, Anne is known to enjoy kippers.

Traditional Scottish kipper on a white plate
Princess Anne loves kippers (Getty)

If she joins King Charles to dine at Sandringham this Christmas, her lunch will look very different. The royal family is said to enjoy their Christmas lunch buffet-style, with children and adults eating separately.

roast turkey dinner and trimmings on table
The royals stick to roast turkey (Getty)

Darren McGrady previously told HELLO! that the royals eat a "boring" Christmas lunch, adding: "They didn't do hams or anything, just traditional turkeys," adding that it would be accompanied by "different stuffings – sage and onion, chestnut – and the traditional sides like roast potatoes, mash potatoes, parsnips and Brussels sprouts."

Dinner

If Anne has any space for a second meal on Christmas Day it will likely be an afternoon tea as per King Charles' daily tradition or the incredible cheese board which Darren McGrady has said is "even more elaborate" than lunch.

charcuterie board with cheeses, fruits and crackers
The royals tuck into a cheeseboard (Getty)

However, Anne's own menu would be far more conservative if her daily diet is anything to go by. According to the MailOnline, Anne has been known to serve her dinner guests pork pies or "anything by Fray Bentos," a supermarket brand of tinned meat.

Princess Anne close up smiling in tan coat
Princess Anne adored pheasant (Getty)

DISCOVER: Princess Anne quietly releases Christmas card with Sir Tim Laurence

When guest-editing an edition of Country Life magazine, the royal also revealed that she is partial to devilled pheasant.