The Prince of Wales has made an unexpected revelation about his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and it’s a controversial one.
As he took part in a radio programme, Prince William answered an age old question about the late Monarch. For decades, it was debated how Elizabeth II performed that most British of rituals – preparing scones during afternoon tea. Now, we know.
The heir to the throne revealed that his grandmother chose the Devon method, where cream is spread on the scone first and jam is put on top.
Prince William was asked how he took his own scones and he replied that ”I can only tell you what I learned from my grandmother, and she would definitely, she had the cream on first. Cream on first, jam on top.”
The announcement was even more surprising as William was in Cornwall at the time. He was the star guest on the Heart Radio Breakfast Show, broadcast from the Isles of Scilly.
Perhaps aware of the ripples he was about to send through the West Country with his revelations, William added ”it tastes delicious, either way.”
Speaking to hosts, Amana Holden and Jamie Theakston, he also made fun of himself, noting that ”I love that I’m the authority on the scones.”
William, who holds the title of Duke of Cornwall which goes automatically to the heir to the English throne if they are male, was also keen to praise the county as much as possible. He spoke about how important the changes to the hospital on the Scillies were to him, ahead of a visit due to take place alter the same day.
He had glowing words for the Scilly Isles where he has spent holidays with the Princess of Wales and their three children. He described it as ”a different world down here” and added ”the children can go where they want here, it’s safe, they can explore. The beach is amazing, the water is crystal clear.”
The family’s love of Cornwall has been on show a lot in recent weeks. The photos marking the birthdays of Prince Louis, on April 23, and Princess Charlotte, on May 2, were taken in Cornwall during a family holiday there, as was the portrait released on April 29 to celebrate the 15th wedding anniversary of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
It remains to be seen whether Prince George’s birthday snap this year will be from the same break. The young prince turns 13 on July 22 and some big changes are already happening for the second in line to the throne. His dad shared that George is now sometimes boarding as he enjoys his last full term at Lambrook School in Berkshire which he has attended since 2022. He is set to move to senior school this September, with reports that his parents have considered Eton and Marlborough for him. A final decision has yet to be announced.
In the meantime, William was clearly relishing a break from the school run as he recalled how chaotic they can get. Prince Louis, he said, often left jammy fingerprints all over the car while he admitted that he has to double check, regularly, where he’s taking the right kit with him for the day ahead.
His children took centre stage, too, when he was asked to choose some music. He selected a Taylor Swift song as he said that Charlotte, now 11, was ”obsessed” with her music and Louis, 8, also enjoyed it.
He also had warm words for the Princess of Wales, who has just returned from her first official overseas visit since recovering from cancer. William said of Kate that ”she’s been through so much in the last couple of years, particularly. She’d been looking forward to the Italian trip a lot, so I’m really glad it went really well.”
