A royal expert has revealed why Prince Harry may not have a taste for seafood after Meghan Markle shared he ‘doesn’t like lobster’ in series two of her Netflix show.
The new trailer for With Love, Meghan was released on Tuesday and showed Meghan hosting a fresh batch of celebrities and influencers at the rented California house close to her and Prince Harry’s Montecito mansion.
One such guest is Spanish-American chef José Andrés who, in the snippet, can be seen preparing a seafood dish with the Duchess of Sussex, 44.
‘Do you know who doesn’t like lobster? My husband,’ Meghan tells Jose, who asks incredulously: ‘And you married him?’
However, Harry’s aversion to shellfish may have something to do with growing up within the Royal Family after it has been widely reported that senior members are generally advised against eating seafood dishes – in addition to garlic and foie gras.
While there are conflicting accounts of royal protocol when it comes to making and serving these preparations, Ok! magazine reported it mandates that some food groups are avoided for health and safety considerations.
One of King Charles’s former butlers, Grant Harrold previously noted that the ‘Royal Family has to be careful with shellfish’ to minimise the risk of food poisoning that could interrupt their official schedules.
‘It is a very sensible move to abandon having seafood when out and about on public duties,’ Grant told the Daily Express in 2022.
‘We don’t want a member of the Royal Family having a serious reaction to food poisoning. Especially if [they] are on an overseas tour. Therefore you will not normally find this on the royal menu.’
This has been previously contradicted by Darren McGrady, Queen Elizabeth’s former chef, who shared a photo of a menu from 1989 that indicated the late monarch sampled a soufflé de homard – or a lobster soufflé – at Windsor Castle.
‘Proof that the Royal Family DO actually eat shellfish,’ he captioned the photo, according to Hello! magazine.
It’s likely Prince Harry’s aversion to the food group has a little something to do with shellfish being served sparingly at dinnertime growing up within The Firm, considering the risk of food poisioning or allergies – especially when eaten raw.
Meghan previously stated that seafood was a great love of hers, telling The New Potato magazine her ‘ideal food day’ involved heaps and heaps of seafood.
She described her dream dinner as follows: ‘A leisurely dinner of seafood and pasta, and a negroni to cap off the night.’
In addition to shellfish like prawns and lobster, Prince Harry had a strict rule that ‘his chefs should not buy foie gras’, a former Clarence House official told The Telegraph.
It comes as outraged fans criticised the Duchess and Netflx after it was revealed American model Chrissy Teigen is among the guests on the second season of With Love, Meghan.
Her inclusion has cast a shadow over the second installment of With Love, Meghan – even before its release – after social media users highlighted the former Sports Illustrated model’s bullying row.
In 2021, John Legend’s wife Chrissy faced severe backlash after abusive tweets by the star – dating back to 2011 – resurfaced online. In one, she told then-16-year-old Courtney Stodden – who identifies as they/them – to kill themselves.
While the star has since apologised, it appeared fans have yet to fully forgive Chrissy for the disparaging tweets towards Courtney after they spotted her laughing and joking in the kitchen with Prince Harry’s wife.
The appearance of Chrissy in the show is all the more baffling, given Meghan’s propensity to distance herself from pals who find themselves at the centre of controversy.
Despite the bullying controversy, however, Chrissy has been close with the Duchess, especially after the Sussexes relocated to California in 2020.
Now, her cameo on the forthcoming season of With Love, Meghan has called their friendship into question after several people highlighted how the Duchess has championed for stricter online safety regulations while speaking out against cyberbullying.
Last October, Meghan reportedly described herself as being ‘one of them most bullied people in the world’ during a meeting with teenage girls at the youth leadership organisation Girls Inc in Santa Barbara.
Earlier that year in August, Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation launched the Parents’ Network in support of ‘parents who have first-hand knowledge of the pain and destruction caused by social media use’.
Netflix viewers highlighted the irony of roping in Chrissy, who said she was ‘ashamed and completely embarrassed’ by the tweets in her public apology to Courtney, for the show helmed by Meghan – who has consistently spoken out about children’s digital safety.
‘She advocates against online bullying then has Chrissy Teigen on…make it make sense Netflix,’ one X user wrote.
Another message read: ‘How can Meghan Markle associate with Chrissy Teigen, a self-confessed online bully and troll who purports to suport the Parents Network who are campaigning against this very thing?’
‘This round may destroy her,’ one X user added. ‘Chrissy Teigen guests this season. WTF thought she was a good idea?’
A similar comment read: ‘You couldn’t make it up, I wonder if it will help support the parents of the people Chrissy Teigen has bullied?’
‘How do you have a charity for the parents of children who took their lives due to social media bullying but be besties with Chrissy Teigen and feature her in your show? I’m truly baffled.’
Courtney incurred relentless bullying both publicly and in private from Chrissy, who tweeted at the then-teen in 2011: ‘My Friday fantasy: you. dirt nap. mmmmmm baby’, followed by: ‘go. to sleep. forever.’
Old tweets from 2013 have also resurfaced in which she described nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis as ‘cocky’ and called Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, then 21, a ‘wh***’.
And ironically enough, Chrissy had stated that she was leaving Twitter before the scandal erupted because she was experiencing too much ‘negative’ abuse.
‘This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively … I’ve always been portrayed as the strong clap back girl but I’m just not,’ she said.
After the barrage of tweets came to light and people called for the model to be ‘cancelled,’ she issued an apology to Courtney – who was catapulted into the spotlight as the teen bride of the much older Green Mile actor Doug Hutchinson.
‘Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be held accountable for all their past bulls**t in front of the entire world. I’m mortified and sad at who I used to be. I was an insecure, attention seeking troll. I am ashamed and completely embarrassed at my behavior but that is nothing compared to how I made Courtney feel,’ she began.
‘I have tried to connect with Courtney privately but since I publicly fueled all this, I want to also publicly apologize. I’m so sorry, Courtney. I hope you can heal now knowing how deeply sorry I am,’ she wrote.
