Princess Diana was a trendsetter in many ways; a champion for human rights, a true fashionista whose looks are still iconic today, and an early adopter of certain foodie trends that wouldn’t hit the mainstream until many years later. One such example was Princess Di’s love of overnight oats as a filling, go-to breakfast.
Yes, overnight oats are cemented in our culinary lexicon, but they didn’t burst onto the scene in a major way until the 2010s. Then, they were everywhere, as the trending healthy breakfast perfect for making once en masse and enjoying all week long. 20 years before, though, Princess Diana was regularly enjoying the dish of cold, uncooked oats, mixed with liquid and other add-ins after it steeped in the fridge overnight. Perhaps not what we’d expect the breakfast of royalty to be, but they called her “the people’s princess” for a reason. Her former private chef himself, Darren McGrady, shared that she requested overnight oats every single day (via YouTube).
To breakfast like the princess, skip the more processed convenient quick style oats and use the old-fashioned rolled type. As for the liquid, McGrady used fresh squeezed orange juice as opposed to milk for a bright, vitamin C-packed and unexpected twist. He then let the oats swell up overnight in the fridge before adding any other ingredients the morning of.
Healthy, trendy meals were Diana’s go-tos
Princess Diana’s love for overnight oats was far ahead of the curve, but she by no means invented the dish herself. Chef Darren McGrady says that she picked up the idea when visiting with a Swiss health clinic, and was so enamored with the overnight oat-style muesli they served that she brought the recipe back home with her.
Diana’s classic, traditional recipe made by McGrady was mixed with add-ins like Greek yogurt, honey, lemon juice, grated apple, walnuts, and berries. This was in 1993 — again, a good two decades before the height of the overnight oat craze. And the princess was in her fitness era — going to the gym and eating healthy, having separated from now-King Charles and moved out of Kensington Palace.
It was in 1993 that chef McGrady began cooking for Princess Diana, a role he’d keep until her tragic death in 1997. He made Diana and her boys all their favorites and requested meals. These were largely healthy options that Diana asked for, a far cry from the more traditional, lavish meals that she would dine on in her earlier years in the palace. Like overnight oats, McGrady recalls Diana’s requests for other healthy choices that would be completely on trend in 2025, like green juices and her favorite wholesome dish of simple stuffed peppers. The people’s princess, indeed!
