King Charles has gone out for lunch for the first time – and The Mail on Sunday can reveal his favorite meal is the millennial’s favourite: the avocado.
The 75-year-old monarch has skipped lunch his entire life, with one source saying he considered it a “luxury” and there wasn’t enough time in his busy schedule to allow such an indulgence.
Now, on the orders of his wife, assistants and doctors, he has reluctantly started eating in the middle of the day to maintain his strength.
But the king, who is recovering from cancer, insists on eating only the healthiest – and trendiest – snack available. A source says: ‘With some reluctance he now eats something at lunch, a snack actually. He now eats half an avocado to get through the day. It’s important, especially when you’re sick.”
Charles is a healthy eater and insists on organic products. Eggs in particular are a favorite. He told the BBC three years ago how he abstains from meat and fish on two days of the week, and on one of those days he also avoids dairy.
The 75-year-old monarch (pictured) has skipped lunch his entire life, with a source saying he considered it a ‘luxury’
The love of avocado on toast has somehow become synonymous with millennials, and by extension, the workhy. (Stock photo)
Last week, the King’s food critic Tom Parker Bowles provided insight into Charles’ economic approach to meals
Charles prefers avocados without toast and they are eaten for practical purposes only
Avocados are a so-called superfood, known for their high calorie content and a healthy way to incorporate energy-sapping ‘good fat’ into a diet. They are now pretty much part of the country’s culture wars, having surged in popularity among the much-criticized generational cohort, the millennials – born between 1981 and 1996.
Nigella Lawson and London restaurant The River Cafe have both been blamed for the ubiquitous snack of choice: avocado on toast. But the mastermind behind the phenomenon appears to have been Australian restaurateur Bill Granger instead. He served his first plate of smashed avocado on toast in a Sydney cafe 30 years ago – without knowing he was sparking a global revolution.
The love of avocado on toast has somehow become synonymous with millennials, and by extension, the workhy. There was even an unlikely controversy over how millennials would be much better able to buy the homes they thought were being priced out by older boomers, if only they would rein in their enormous spending on snacks at hipster cafes.
But Charles’ addition of it to his diet contains none of the carbohydrates associated with toast. He prefers to eat them alone and they are eaten only for useful purposes.
Last week, the King’s food critic Tom Parker Bowles provided insight into Charles’ economic approach to meals. “Everything is recycled,” he said. ‘If there is anything left, it is made into something else or appears the next day. Nothing is thrown away.’ His latest book, Cooking And The Crown, details the history of food in the royal family. He revealed that his mother, Queen Camilla, eats porridge every day in the colder months and keeps her lunch light (chicken stock or smoked salmon), while Charles eats dried fruit and honey for breakfast and prefers afternoon tea to lunch.
Mr Parker Bowles said: ‘Tea has always been a spectacle – and in itself an important and substantial meal – for the royals. Everyone comes together for tea.
“And it’s not just cakes and cookies and crumpets and sandwiches. You might even get poached eggs. If you stay in Scotland it’s quite dangerous because you have a hot breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner.’
‘He only eats them for useful purposes’
