Palace Staff Utilizes Clever Serving Trick To Prevent Queen Elizabeth II’s Food From Being Poisoned

May 07, 2021 by apost team

When it comes to keeping the most prominent leaders of a nation safe, a myriad of tips and tricks need to be used. Being in a position of power comes with the risk, which enemies may attempt to exploit, but with strong support staff, security can be almost guaranteed. Elizabeth II is one person who needs this type of protection, and the palace staff has their own sharp practices to keep the queen secured.  

Elizabeth has reigned for nearly seven decades. February 6, 2021, marked the 69th year since she became the queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth nations. Even before she ascended to the throne at the young age of 27, all eyes were on her as royalists waited with anticipation and speculated what she would be like as a ruler.

She has shown herself to be a capable and powerful leader for the country and continues to be one of the most popular royal members even today. At 95 years old, Elizabeth has shown strength and grace through her long rule and has done an excellent job of keeping the royal family together despite the family rifts that have emerged over the last few years.

Recently, the queen lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, after he died "peacefully" of natural causes on April 9, 2021. Through this challenging time, she has continued to show that she is an incredible leader for her nation as well as her family. As she now continues her reign, we look at the tricks that the palace staff uses to keep her safe.

It isn't just the queen that is kept safe through these clever techniques but all members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, Prince Williams and Kate Middleton. They are all kept secure from being poisoned at functions. Major royal events, dinners and other important occasions need a lot of planning and execution — everything from the guest list down to the food needs to be organized meticulously. It is imperative that safety is on top of the list to make sure that important attendees are guarded well. 

The New York Post reported that a documentary that aired on Britain’s Channel 5 explained that after the chef has prepared all of the dishes, one plate is chosen at random for the queen to eat. She never has an assigned plate so that it can never be tampered with.  

Speaking on “Secrets of the Royal Kitchen,” the Sun’s royal correspondent Emily Andrews said, "After everything is plated up, a page chooses at random one of the plates to be served to her majesty. So if anyone did want to poison the monarch they’d have to poison the whole lot."

There are also strict rules that govern how guests need to act around the queen during these events. Andrews continued, "You do not sit down until the Queen sits down. When she starts eating, then you can start eating," adding, "Traditionally, you’d have to have finish eating by the time the Queen would finish eating. In years gone past, courtiers would be there desperately trying to eat their food quite quickly."

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The queen has a personal menu created for her, so she oversees everything that happens in the kitchen, as per the New York Post. Elizabeth's former chef, Darren McGrady, worked for the royal household for 15 years and said, “The Queen has a royal menu book that is completed by the chef. The chef does three days’ menus and that gives us enough time to get all the produce in and prepare it." 

McGrady also said that Elizabeth has banned certain items from her Buckingham Palace kitchen, saying, "We can never serve anything with garlic or too much onions." The former chef revealed that the queen preferred to stick to traditional “British and French” dishes and wasn't willing to be adventurous when trying new dishes. She would instead eat the “same dishes week in and week out” and loved to eat game. Her taste was starkly different to her late husband Philip, who would "get excited about new ingredients."

While it seems like the queen's techniques to keep her safe from being poisoned, and choices of a royal menu sets her apart from the common man, she is more like a normal person than one imagines. The Daily Post reported that despite the queen having her choice of lavish rooms to eat her meals in, she generally chooses to eat her evening meal in the comfort of her own living room, as she enjoys nothing more than a TV dinner. "She has her dinner off a tray looking at the television. She likes it. It's homely and cosy and it's comfortable," said royal biographer Lady Colin Campbell.

What do you think of the palace staff's trick to keep the queen safe? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to let your friends know about this as well.