The Royal Family is known for having rather unique mealtime preferences and traditions, from the late Queen’s bizarre sandwich rule to the common foods the royals are banned from eating.
However, they’ve also been known to enjoy a takeout just like everyone else and it seems the Princess of Wales isn’t afraid to weigh in on a particularly divisive British food debate that many people across the country will be familiar with.
On July 4 she and Prince William attended a Big Tea Party to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service and as with all good parties, it involved cakes and baking.
During the tea party, as per The Telegraph, it emerged that Kate Middleton uses Queen Elizabeth’s method as she confirmed which side she takes in the old British debate about the best way to enjoy a scone.
These are an essential part of British Cream Teas and Afternoon Teas but the English counties of Cornwall and Devon both have a different way of serving them.
In Cornwall, the method is to add a blob of fruit jam on each half of the scone before adding clotted cream on top. Whilst in Devon the cream comes first, with the jam on top and the debate over which is more delicious has long been a controversial one.
Now Kate has shared that she uses the Cornish method and reportedly explained, “I always do jam and then cream.”
Former Great British Bake-Off presenter Mel Giedroyc agreed with Kate’s choice, saying she does the same because “jam is heavier and then the cream sits”.
It’s also apparently been suggested by former royal chef Darren McGrady that Queen Elizabeth also used the Cornish method for scone eating like Kate and Mel.
According to The Telegraph he previously claimed she “always had homemade Balmoral jam first with clotted cream on top at Buckingham Palace garden parties in the royal tea tent and all royal tea parties”.
The revelation that Kate Middleton uses Queen Elizabeth’s method – the Cornish method -is also incredibly fitting given that she’s the Duchess of Cornwall.
Prince William became Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Duke of Rothesay last year when King Charles who previously held those titles became monarch. As a result, Kate is now not only Princess of Wales but Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Rothesay.
Despite the couple’s allegiance to Cornwall, though, Prince William is seemingly not so bothered about one method over another. Instead, he’s said to have declared, “I go with whichever is closest to me to start off.”
The Big Tea Party was attended by NHS staff and patients and was hosted by NHS Charities Together and Mel Giedroyc. The Prince and Princess of Wales have been the charity organizations’ patrons since 2020.
