Catherine, Princess of Wales—better known as Princess Kate—reportedly likes to start her mornings with a green juice. Nicknamed “pond water smoothies,” these blends are often packed with nutrient-dense ingredients like dark leafy greens, berries, spirulina, and sometimes matcha.
Her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, was also a fan of healthy juices. But her go-to breakfast? A rather unusual combo of orange juice and oatmeal.
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According to Darren McGrady, a cookbook author and former royal chef, Diana would request overnight oats made with orange juice every single morning.
“Today, overnight oats are really popular,” says McGrady in a YouTube video. “Everyone’s eating them. They date back to 2012, that’s when you couldn’t even go on social media without seeing a recipe for overnight oats. But Princess Diana was eating overnight oats almost 20 years earlier, in 1993.”
McGrady recalls that Diana first discovered the dish while staying at a health clinic in Switzerland. “They were actually called bircher muesli,” he said. “They were invented by a Swiss nutritionist, and [Princess Diana] thought they were really, really good.”
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Indeed, a doctor named Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner invented Bircher muesli, which is a good source of nutrients like fiber, carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, to help his patients at the beginning of the 20th century.
How to make Princess Diana’s favorite breakfast vegan
The base recipe starts with oats soaked overnight in orange juice. McGrady says he prefers to use rolled oats, but you can use any variety you have available, from steel-cut to quick.
Traditionally, McGrady would fold in Greek yogurt and raw honey, but both are easy to swap for plant-based alternatives. A dairy-free Greek yogurt made from coconut, almond, or oats works perfectly (you can find some of our go-to vegan yogurt brands here), and maple syrup or agave nectar can replace honey.
After that, add a squeeze of lemon juice, then fold in berries, grated apple, nuts, chia seeds, or whatever else you like.
“There are many different things you can add to the dish,” McGrady said. “All the berries, strawberries, and chia seeds are really popular now, too.”
The chef loved Diana’s choice so much that he often made extra for himself. “We’ve got texture, we’ve got fiber, we’ve got protein,” he recalled. “We’ve just got everything in there.” Check out some of our favorite overnight oats recipes here for tasty ideas, from mocha caramel to chocolate coconut to apple ginger.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
