Masterchef viewers were well prepared for Prince Charles’ appearance on the Channel Ten cooking show with regular promos featuring the next in line to the British throne.
But when the 69-year-old royal came on he did something – or rather didn’t do something – that puzzled many watching at home. In fact, we’re pretty sure it’s a first for any guest on the popular show.
He didn’t eat anything.
Nope. There was not a single shot of the Prince of Wales putting even one of the delicious-looking canapes on offer into his mouth – despite the contestants being told they were cooking for the royal.
Viewers shared their confusion on Twitter.
Yes, he may have eaten some of the food. But viewers at home never saw it.
It wasn’t long before theories started to emerge as to why Prince Charles did or didn’t eat any of the canapes – and why him munching on a hors d’oeuvre wasn’t shown on TV.
Some suggested there may be a royal rule against showing a member of the family eating, while others questioned if it may be that the food was not deemed 100 per cent safe to eat.
According to a royal expert The Sun spoke to, royals tend to avoid eating foods in public that could possibly give them food poisoning, like shellfish, but there doesn’t appear to be an explicitly written rule that forbids the royals from eating on TV.
However, the reason why Prince Charles eating may have been omitted from the show might come down to safety. Its believed Queen Elizabeth and the royal family do not have “food tasters” who take a bite of their dishes before they dig in to check for poison in case of an assassination attempt. Instead, all the staff who prepare the Queen’s food have gone through safety checks.
But we don’t know the protocol for eating out and about – which could be similar to the safety checks for the US president, whose Secret Service reportedly like to watch food being prepared sometimes. Perhaps this was one of the occasions Prince Charles’ staff deemed it too risky for him to eat without testing the food first.
Or perhaps his royal highness just wasn’t hungry.
Top Comments
Royals rarely eat when they are out at events, firstly because people are always talking to them and they are expected to meet as many people as possible.
You will have seen that Charles was constantly meeting people and talking to them on the show? Also, eating and moving around means that finicky food can be dropped down one's front and get slathered over chins. Charles would never allow that to happen at a reception such as this one where he was expected to keep moving.
The rare occasions where you see Charles and Camilla eating are on actual food excursions. This was a reception and the Master Chef contestants were providing the food. It was not a "food event" per se. If he had attended the Master Chef kitchen, then I am sure he would have eaten as he could have sat down with utensils and a serviette!
I would be very surprised if a couple of boxes of goodies weren't sent back to the place where he was staying and he and his aides ate them later.
It’s funny but now it’s been mentioned, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them eat. It’s just not shown. It might be one of the many unwritten and unspoken rules that everyone accuses Meghan of constantly breaking