Princess Diana may have passed away over two decades ago, but recently unearthed letters have revealed previously unknown information about the late Princess—namely, her favorite food!
The royal who was known for being a Princess of the people said that a humble Ukrainian beetroot soup called Borscht was her favorite meal.
The new information about Diana came from a cookbook published 39 years ago in South Africa. The Avril Elizabeth Home for the Mentally Handicapped—a home care organization based in South Africa—had sent letters to public figures asking for their favorite recipes as part of a charity cookbook. Princess Diana, who had wed Prince Charles that same year, was one of the most notable names to respond to the request.
“The Lady Diana Spencer has asked me to thank you very much for your letter,” reads a recently unearthed royal correspondence. “The Lady Diana’s favourite (sic) recipe is Borsch soup. It has the following ingredients – beetroot, natural yogurt, onions, chicken stock, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper.” The letter was signed by a since-blurred-out name, likely of one of Diana’s staff.
Another notable recipe came from Prime Minister at the time Margaret Thatcher. The politician revealed that one of her favorite dishes was an orange and walnut cake, and the letter from Margaret’s office included a step-by-step guide of how to make the cake, alongside some helpful cooking tips.
“Mrs. Thatcher wishes you all success with ‘The Cook’s Book’ and would like to contribute the enclosed recipe to this good cause,” the note began.
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The ingredients for the cake included self-rising flour, salt, butter, castor sugar, eggs, oranges, walnuts, and even orange juice! Margaret’s recipe also included the helpful tip: “Be careful not to over-heat the icing when blending.”
The decades-old letters were unearthed by Angeline Hopley—the original recipient of the letters—when she visited a relative at the home. As the cookbooks were only sold locally, its contents including the letters remained unseen for years.
Other high-profile people such as Princess Grace of Monaco also submitted recipes that were featured in the book.
There was, however, one famous figure who declined to submit a recipe for the book—Queen Elizabeth! A letter from Clarence House claimed it was not possible to make the Queen’s favorite meal public due to official rules.
Now we’re even more curious as to what Queen Elizabeth’s favorite meal is!