Prince Harry asked King Charles’ chef to teach him how to cook and was “genuinely interested” in helping prepare meals.
Prince Harry asked King Charles’ chef to teach him how to cook.
The Duke of Sussex was “genuinely keen” in learning how to prepare meals and Visen Aneynden, who used to be head chef at the king’s Highgrove estate, recalled how the prince was always willing to take instruction from staff and happy to get stuck in.
Speaking to Heart Bingo Online, Visen said: “Harry actually asked me to teach him to cook! Harry was always interested in learning how to cook. He was genuinely keen on it and would often ask to get involved.
“He’d happily go and cook something like breakfast if you let him. He was always saying things like, ‘Can I learn how to cook that?’
“He was very hands-on and eager to be shown. He really enjoyed being taught how to prepare dishes, especially fish. That was something he seemed to take a real interest in and liked trying to get it perfect.”
Visen praised Harry as “boisterous but great” and recalled coming across him scrubbing the kitchen floor one morning after getting up to mischief with his friends.
The chef said: “He wasn’t bratty. I remember one morning waking up to find him cleaning the kitchen on his knees.
“He’d had a flour fight with his mates the night before. I told him I’d clean it all up but he insisted he did it himself and even said he’d help prepare any food that had been accidentally ruined.
“He was very considerate, even if he’d done something a little naughty.”
Royal cooks could be more adventurous when cooking for Harry and his brother Prince William than for their father, King Charles.
Visen said: “They’re both lovely. Very different. Harry was boisterous whereas Wiliam was more calm. They both had a great sense of humour and were great with the staff. The younger royals had a very different palate to Charles. They liked bolder flavours and spice.”
One particularly memorable meal the chef made was breakfast for the princes on the day of William’s wedding to Catherine, Princess of Wales, who was known as Kate Middleton at the time.
He said: “I cooked breakfast for William and Harry on the morning of the wedding. They had Eggs Benedict.
“William seemed very calm actually and Harry was cracking plenty of jokes to make him laugh, probably trying to put his mind at ease.
“I met Kate many times and she was always so lovely and down to earth. She’d come into the kitchen for chats or come over in the garden to speak to me. She seemed to take to royal life with ease.”
Visen was speaking to Heart Bingo Online. Visit https://www.heartbingo.co.uk/ for more.
Prince Harry wanted cooking lessons from royal staff
