Queen Elizabeth II's very frugal diet that was hailed by her ex-chef - 'so disciplined'

The late Queen's former chef revealed her surprisingly disciplined eating habits, despite having lavish banquets at her fingertips.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady cooked meals for and the for over a decade between 1982 and 1993.

He previously revealed the late monarch, when dining without guests, used to opt for a simple diet of poached or grilled fish with vegetables and salad, avoiding instead potatoes or carbs.

He told in 2017: "She's very disciplined like that."

Queen Camilla's son Tom Parker-Bowles on BBC Breakfast, describing her as "not a great eater".

He said: "[She] was just as happy with a salmon fishcake, a mild curry or scrambled eggs on toast."

Confessing the late head of state had other priorities, McGrady said when she was still alive: "The Queen is not really bothered about food." Horses and dogs, he added, were what she truly cared about.

During his 10-year stint, the chef claimed to have asked if his staff could get some modern kitchen utensils, but royals would often say, "no, no, no, we need the money to buy horses and saddles".

He added: "The chefs and food and kitchens come last. They're still using pots and pans from the 1800s, with the Queen Victoria stamp on them, at Buckingham Palace."

He confessed Elizabeth II apparently ate to live rather than lived to eat, despite being able to attend the banquets of many people's dreams.

The current Queen, Camilla, also opts for a rather humble breakfast, as her son Parker-Bowles revealed King Charles's wife enjoys a simple bowl of porridge on cold winter mornings.