Graham Newbould, a royal chef in the 1980s who served the Queen “penny” sandwiches and boiled rabbit for the corgis, passed tragically suddenly at age 66. Let’s see Who is Graham Newbould, what happened to him, and Graham Newbould cause of death in this post.
Graham Newbould died suddenly
Before serving sandwiches in the shape of pennies and serving the late Queen, an executive chef unexpectedly passed away earlier this month.
Graham Newbould, 66, served for King Charles and his first wife at Kensington Palace for a further five years, from 1987, before moving on to work at Buckingham Palace and on the Royal Yacht Britannia from 1980 to 1982.
The chef who received a Michelin award and was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in August 1956 went on to have a prosperous career at another restaurant. Two of his previous marriage’s children as well as his second wife, Heather, and their son survive him.
Who was Graham Newbould?
Bryan and Marion Newbould’s elder son Graham was born on August 1st, 1956 in Wakefield, Yorkshire. After graduating from high school, he studied at a catering college before receiving Michel Bourdin’s instruction at the Connaught in London, where he eventually attained the position of chef Poissonnier before moving on to work for the Royal Family.
He proceeded to Barbados to work as a cook at the Treasure Beach hotel after earning his star at Inverlochy Castle, and from there he went to Grenada to become the head chef at the Calabash.
When he eventually made it back to England, he opened his eatery at The George in Wormald Green, on the route from Ripon to Harrogate in Yorkshire. The restaurant’s walls were lined with artifacts from his time spent serving the monarch. His last position was as the Duke of Bedford’s cook at Woburn Abbey.
Newbould was married twice. His first union, with Joy, was annulled. His second wife Heather, their son, and a son and daughter from his first marriage are his only surviving family members.
Graham Newbould, 66, spent four and a half more years working for King Charles and his first wife at Kensington Palace before moving on to work at Buckingham Palace and on the Royal Yacht Britannia from 1980 to 1982.
The Michelin-starred chef, who was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in August 1956, went on to have a prosperous career at another business. He is survived by two children from his first marriage, Heather, his second wife, and their son.
While Newbould always resisted sharing royal rumors while working for the royal family, he did take viewers inside the royal kitchens in the 2002 Channel 5 documentary Secrets of the Royal Kitchens, when he disclosed some little-known details about the late Queen and her family’s dining preferences.
Duke of Bedford’s personal chef
In the program, Graham—whose most recent position was as the Duke of Bedford’s personal chef at Woburn Abbey—discussed how Princess Diana would ask him to prepare jacket potatoes for Prince William and Prince Harry as well as how the Queen would eat her own take on fish and chips at Buckingham Palace.
Throughout his time working at Buckingham and Kensington Palaces, the chef avoided discussing the members of the royal family’s personal lives, saying to a reporter once: “I’ve signed the Official Secrets Act, and anything to do with the Royal Family is taboo,” according to the online sources.
Nonetheless, he jokingly joked he was the one keeping Princess Diana ‘on the front pages’ when asked if he was responsible for the late royal’s slender physique.
Michelin star
Graham left the royal household after more than six years of service and took a job as chef at the Inverlochy Castle hotel in Scotland, where he was awarded a Michelin star.
He shared some tales from his time working for The Firm in 2002 when he presented Secrets of the Royal Kitchen. The royal family “likes basic yet elegant meals, not too hot, not too big or too small amounts,” he noted on the program.
The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip began each day with an authentic English breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by lunch at 1 p.m., high tea at 5 p.m., and supper at 8 p.m.
Everything had to be tasteful and well-presented. Nevertheless, they weren’t big on ornamentation, so you could just put flaked salmon and mayonnaise on a dish, Graham advised the Channel 5 program.
The cook also mentioned that the royal table was forbidden from serving garlic and that the Queen would like her to take on fish and chips, known as Haddock St. Germain, which consists of small pieces of pan-fried haddock coated in breadcrumbs served with fries and Béarnaise sauce.
The Queen had the peculiar habit of eating penny-shaped sandwiches during high tea, according to Graham, since “custom has it that anyone offering pointed-edged food is seeking to topple the crown of England,” he said.
Royal Chef
As the royal chef, Graham also prepared meals for the royal animals, such as tripe for the gun dogs and chopped-up boiling lamb liver or rabbit with rice and cabbage for the Corgis.
The chef would take advantage of the chance to try new things because he was also in charge of the Christmas meal. He said that the royal family did not enjoy Christmas pudding or mince pies, which allowed him to attempt something unusual for dessert, such as a pia colada mousse with raspberry coulis.
When King Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Princess Diana returned from their honeymoon, Graham was requested to take over as one of their two personal chefs. Graham was one of the cooks that assisted with the wedding breakfast for the couple in 1981.
In contrast to his parents, King Charles preferred to start the day with a small bowl of fresh fruit salad and a glass of freshly squeezed orange or apple juice.
Next, with milk from the Royal Dairy in Windsor, he would have muesli with six various kinds of dried fruit, including apricots, peaches, figs, plums, apples, and pears.
After that, he would have bread with six different kinds of honey. He would slice his toast into pieces and put a dab of honey on each, Graham said. Princess Diana, meanwhile, preferred to drink instant coffee and eat muesli or bran flakes for breakfast before having toast with jam and fruit yogurt.
Unless they were at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, where the King would have a soft-boiled egg with Vegemite soldiers after going hunting or playing polo, Diana, and Charles would both have a light lunch and forgo high tea. Graham also disclosed that Charles would travel with a breakfast box that had his honey, cereal, and dried fruit.
The chef remembered that Princess Diana used to request that he prepare jacket potatoes for Prince William and Princess Harry that were covered with cheese sauce, delicately poached eggs, and parmesan.
While Diana enjoyed the lunch, he observed that King Charles had different tastes. The chef gushed about how much fun it had been serving the royal family and recalled having to reprimand a young Prince William for hitting him with golf balls.
He also remembered a situation in which, while preparing canapés for a gathering at Kensington Palace, he pretended to be King Charles adoring his Highgrove garden kitchen, not realizing that Princess Diana was standing just behind him.
I was unaware that the Princess was giggling behind me. He stated on the 2002 broadcast that she found it to be quite funny. One of two sons, he studied cooking at a nearby college before receiving Michel Bourdin’s training at the Connaught Hotel in London, where he rose to the position of chef Poissonnier before beginning employment at the Palace.
Resignation from the Royal family
Graham resigned from his position as a member of the royal family in 1987 to pursue a career as a chef in a business setting. He received a Michelin star while working at Inverlochy Castle before traveling to Barbados to take the position of chef at the Treasure Beach hotel.
Before moving back to England, he also loved working as Calabash’s executive chef in Grenada. Then, in Wormald Green, Yorkshire, at The George, he opened his eatery. Working for the Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey was his last position.
Graham was an honorary member of the Académie Culinaire de France and a member of the elite Club des Chef des Chefs, an organization for chefs who have served as head chefs around the world.
Graham had two wives in his personal life. He had a son and a daughter from his first marriage, as well as a son from his second marriage to Heather.
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.