Bunless burgers and estate shot deer: Royal chef reveals Queen's top meals and Diana's cravings

The Queen enjoys a burger just as much as the rest of us, but she likes hers without a bun, her former chef has revealed.

Darren McGrady, who was the Queen's personal chef in the 1990s, told Insider that a burger was the only fast food she'd eat, according to the Daily Mail.

And royal kitchen staff would make their own versions of takeaway food for the family.

"It always tickled me at Balmoral, we would make our own burgers," he said.

"They would shoot deer, and we would do venison burgers. There'd be gorgeous cranberry and everything stuffed into them, but we never set buns out.

"They would have burgers, but not the buns. So they would eat it with their knife and fork."

McGrady, born in the UK but now based in Texas, said the Queen's upbringing meant "the only thing you would pick up and eat with your fingers is afternoon tea".

The chef also revealed that the Queen has never eaten pizza.

He told US Weekly earlier this year, "In the years that I cooked at [Buckingham Palace] the Queen never had pizza. I didn't start cooking pizza until I moved across to Kensington Palace."

In a video for Delish in March, he also revealed that he often cooked Italian food when cooking for Charles and Diana.

He added that Charles loves organic farming and likes his staff to cook using food from the Balmoral estate or the Duchy of Cornwall.

McGrady said Charles was passionate about Italian food, which is a common favourite with the royals.

"Whether it was risotto or polenta and healthy eating, when Princess Diana and Prince Charles ate together Italian food was often on the menu.

"Princess Diana loved Italian food too as it was simple and she had lots of salads and for the boys some Italian pizza, what boys don't love pizza? I know William and Harry did."

Charles spent a lot of time in Italy, where he picked up his passion for the food.

"The Prince of Wales loved painting and I think going off to Italy and sitting there, I think that is where his passion for the beautiful countryside, and of course the food, came from," he said.

"He'd take a little sandwich with him and maybe a piece of plum pudding."