Times are a-changin’ — albeit slowly — for the royal family. Kate Middleton will likely try to raise her bundle of joy with husband Prince William quite a bit differently than either Queen Elizabeth II or Princess Diana did, former Kensington Palace chef Darren McGrady tells Us Weekly exclusively.
For starters, McGrady tells Us, the first-time mom may initially try her hand at cooking for the baby, something that neither the Queen nor Diana ever did.
“Kate, I understand, can cook, so I think she will do some cooking, but of course once the baby comes along, [she and William will] be expected to start taking on royal engagements again, so any sort of free time they get they’ll want to be spending having quality time with the baby — and not peeling apples and making purees,” McGrady said of the household dynamics. “That will be delegated pretty quickly to the chef.”
McGrady previously worked full-time with Princess Diana for four years in the ’90s, and cooked for Queen Elizabeth II for 11 years. He is currently based in the States.
The baby’s royal treatment will also likely be balanced out with visits with Middleton’s parents Michael and Carole, McGrady says.
“It seems over the years we’re getting a normalization of the royal family,” he said. “We are seeing them become more normal, but as I said, time is going to dictate that they’re not going to be able to go in the kitchen and cook baby food and things. I think things will be a little more lenient when they go across to Kate’s parents, the Middletons, that will be more of a normal side.”
Another way the royal family has evolved to be “more normal” over the years? The amount of hands-on involvement the new parents have with their little son and daughter — and not just regarding meals.
“The Queen would hardly ever see Prince Charles, he’d always be in the nursery,” McGrady explained. “Even now, the royal children are not allowed to sit at the Queen’s table until they can hold their knife and fork properly and know which order to eat and how to conduct themselves properly.”
“But then of course, Princess Diana came along and I remember she would fight for time to spend with William,” he continued. He predicts that the Duchess, 31, will “get much, much more time with the baby, and to a degree she will. They’re evolving and becoming more and more normal as the years go on.”
And, unlike his father, Prince William, also 31, may even be down for diaper duty! “while Prince Charles would have never ever changed a nappy or anything, I can see Prince William doing that.”
Category: Reports
Kate Middleton’s July 11 due date has come and gone, and now the royal family is getting anxious to meet England’s future King or Queen. During a visit to Little Harbour children’s hospice at Porthpean near St Austell, Cornwall on Monday, July 15, Prince William’s dad Prince Charles and stepmom Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall shared an update on the imminent arrival of their grandchild.
“We are all just waiting by the telephone,” Camilla, 65, said in a speech to guests via Daily Mail. “We are hopeful that by the end of the week he or she will be here.”
During the visit, Grandfather-to-be Charles happily greeted well-wisher Trudi Lindsay’s three-week-old daughter Ellie-Mae. “You have got one of these coming soon,” Lindsay said, according to Daily Mail. “Hopefully!” Charles replied.
As she awaits the arrival of her first child with husband Prince William, Middleton, 31, is trying to stay comfortable. A source confirmed to Us Weekly that the mom-to-be left London’s Kensington Palace to go stay at her parent’s house in Bucklebury, Berkshire on July 12 to escape the summer heat.
“It was just too warm in Nott Cott,” the insider told Us of the couple’s Nottingham Cottage residency, which doesn’t have air conditioning. “She decided to spend the weekend with mum and dad. Much more comfortable.”
