The Particular Way Queen Elizabeth Ate Bananas

Being that she was England's reigning monarch for 70 years, Queen Elizabeth's food preferences were common knowledge in the Buckingham Palace kitchen. According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, for all the years he served her, the Queen never ate starchy foods, stayed away from garlic and onions, and would typically enjoy either grilled fish or chicken with two vegetable sides, as well as generous portions of salad and fresh fruit (via Harper's Bazaar).

Nothing with starch, garlic, or onion meant her meal options were fairly limited, but when it came to fruit, Queen Elizabeth was only picky about the way she ate it. In an interview with Vanity Fair, McGrady revealed that Her Majesty's favorite way to enjoy strawberries was with chocolate mousse or chocolate ice cream, and he told RecipesPlus that she only ate pears with a spoon. These fruits, however, weren't the only ones the Queen had specific eating habits for — she also had a very particular way of eating bananas.

Rather than peeling the banana and holding it while she ate it, Queen Elizabeth would instead use a fork and knife. McGrady told RecipesPlus that she would first cut off the bottom, slice the banana lengthwise, then into smaller bite-sized pieces, which she would proceed to eat with a fork.

There are many dining rules and restrictions that come with being part of the royal family, and the way silverware is handled is one of the most important, etiquette expert William Hanson shared with Marie Claire. Knives, for example, have to be held on the right because that's the side a sword or dagger would be held; you must place your cutlery at 6:30 with the fork facing up once you're finished eating; you cannot let your silverware make excessive noise against your plate.

Though it would've made sense, Queen Elizabeth's way of eating bananas actually has nothing to do with this. As McGrady wrote in his book, the reason was simply that she didn't want to look "like a monkey" (via Insider).