Princess Diana's Attempt At Pasta Wound Up Causing A Kitchen Emergency

The beloved late Princess Diana was known for her warmth, relatability, and willingness to break from royal convention. Even today, her staff still reflects on her lack of airs and propensity to mingle with them while they worked. One charming example comes from former royal chef Darren McGrady. McGrady, who worked for the royal household and later served as Diana's personal chef at Kensington Palace, has shared many stories about the Princess of Wales' favorite foods. In one interview, he recalled the time Diana decided to prepare pasta herself. Obviously, this was something she didn't often do because palace kitchens typically handled meals.

This little kitchen mishap showed just how human Diana could be. Pasta is a straightforward dish many of us cook with ease, but hers somehow turned into a minor emergency that ended with the fire department being called. "She had a friend come over and they decided to cook pasta and some spaghetti sauce," McGrady explains on YouTube. "And they got chatting and the pasta boiled over, and it put the pilot lights out on the gas." Diana got nervous when she could still smell gas, so she ended up calling the Kensington Palace fire brigade. 

Firefighters soon arrived at the palace to investigate the potential gas leak. Seeing that the palace is still standing today, we can assume the situation was contained quickly and no damage was done. But it wasn't all bad for Princess Diana. McGrady reveals she dished on the details when he came back to work on Monday.

"She said, 'I was so nervous I called the fire palace brigade and they all came over, but the best part was, I had 12 hunky firemen all to myself!'" Darren McGrady laughingly recalls. The story was classic Diana, with her naughty sense of humor and ability to poke fun at herself. 

McGrady has often said that Diana preferred relatively simple, healthy food compared to the elaborate dishes served at formal royal events. Diana was mostly vegetarian, avoiding beef, but she did enjoy rainbow trout, her favorite fish. Pasta dishes occasionally appeared on the menu as well, which likely explains why she attempted the dish in the first place.

To be fair, even though Diana wasn't the best cook, routine cooking tasks can be tricky in unfamiliar kitchens. Large professional stoves (like those found in palace kitchens) often operate differently from typical household appliances, and a boiling pot overflowing onto a gas burner could easily extinguish the flame. Knocking out your pilot light is a mistake that can also happen when you're cleaning your stove burners.

Diana's pasta mishap became one of the many stories McGrady has shared about his time cooking for the People's Princess. Rather than portraying her as aloof or untouchable, anecdotes like this reinforce the image many people remember: A princess who was approachable, curious, and always trying to live some semblance of an ordinary life.