King Charles Has Banned This Dish from All Royal Residences

It will be a busy week at Buckingham Palace as King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla host the new monarch’s first state visit, welcoming South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife, Dr. Tshepo Motsepe, to the U.K. The tiaras will come out on Tuesday as Charles and Camilla are set to host a state banquet at the Palace in their honor—but, The Sun reports, we can expect one dish to absolutely not be on the menu for the occasion.

Not only will we not see foie gras make an appearance this week but, as long as Charles as king, we likely never will—in a letter from the Palace to animal rights campaigners, it has been confirmed that the dish has been banned at all royal residences, including Buckingham Palace. (Foie gras is made from the liver of a duck or goose.)

“The monarch is understood to be a longstanding opponent of the food, and many campaigners say the process of making the product is cruel,” The Sun reports. It’s almost too gross to get into, but, according to the outlet, “foie gras is made from livers that have become abnormally enlarged from a disease called hepatic steatosis, caused by force-feeding the birds large amounts of food.”

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The South African delegation is the first to visit the British Royal Family for a state visit, unbelievably, since former U.S. President Donald Trump visited the U.K. in 2019. (The pandemic has prevented any state visits from occurring since.) The South African state visit was in the diary prior to Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8 and marks the first Charles has hosted in his own right as reigning sovereign.

In addition to Charles and Camilla, the new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, will play a prominent role this week in hosting the first couple of South Africa, People reports.