The wedding breakfast menu of Prince William and Duchess Catherine has been revealed for the first time as one of the menus is sold off at auction.
Only 300 of William and Catherine’s closest friends and family were lucky enough to sample the lavish menu on the special day of the royal wedding back in 2011 which included marinated salmon, crab, langoustines and organic lamb. As that part of the ceremony was completely private, the menu has never before been revealed.
Guests in the Buckingham Palace ballroom who enjoyed a royal breakfast after the wedding at Westminster Abbey included Prince Harry, Prince Charles, the Middletons and William and Kate’s closest friends from school.
Although the breakfast-style meal was considered more low-key than the grand feasts and dinners of previous royals weddings, the guests were nonetheless treated to a decadent three course meal that included only the finest ingredients.
- First course: Marinated South Uist salmon, Lyme Bay crab and wild Hebridean langoustines and fresh herb salad accompanied by a 2009 Meursault.
- Second course: Saddle of North Highland Mey select Organic lamb with Highgrove spring vegetables, English asparagus, Jersey Royal potatoes and sauce Windsor, accompanied by a Pomeral 2004 L’Hospitalet de Gazin
- Dessert: A trio of Berkshire honey ice cream, sherry trifle and chocolate parfait.
Other items featured in the auction.
The spring vegetables of the main course came from Prince Charles’ estate of Highgrove which is famed for its innovative and sustainable gardens which includes home-grown veges and food available for sale to the public.
The Berkshire honey ice cream of the dessert is a nod to Catherine and the Middleton’s home county.
The menus have been revealed as they are about to go under the hammer part of a major auction of royal memorabilia set to take place in the UK next week. It’s thought that they will fetch up to $1000 (£500) at auction – almost reasonable compared to the actual slice of wedding cake from the big day that sold for $7,500 at an auction in Beverly Hills in December.
The menus form part of an extensive private collection amassed by royal ‘ephemera expert’ Jim Hanson. Royal memorabilia spanning 200 years are also to be included in the auction.
Other items of interest to royal fans include an autographed black and white portrait of Princess Diana signed, ‘Diana, 1993’ (expected to fetch $6000); handwritten letters Princess Diana sent to her friend John Gairdner; and signed family Christmas Cards featuring Prince Charles, Diana, William and Harry photographed in family portraits.
There are also extensive historical items up for auction such as a telegram delivered to the midwife who delivered Prince Charles written by the Queen and a very rare signed photograph of Queen Victoria with her three future kings.
Auctioneer James Grinter said of the now-deceased Jim Hanson’s collection: “It is very rare to find such a remarkable royal collection as this.”
“It spans 200 years from Queen Victoria, through King Edward VII, King George V, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, King George VI and the Queen Mother and our current Queen.”
“The breadth, quality and condition of the individual items is amazing.”
