For 40 days every Lenten season, the Queen would put her royal sweet tooth on hold.
This Is What Queen Elizabeth Gave Up for Lent Every Year
Published on Apr. 09, 2025
Queen Elizabeth is known for many things: her corgis, her little black handbag and her disdain for garlic chief among them. During her reign, she was also the head of the Church of England, so her faith was an important aspect of her personality. In fact, the Queen gave up the same thing for Lent every single year. And she lived for a long time! 96 years, to be exact. We know it was one of her favorite foods, so we applaud the commitment.
For the uninitiated, Lent is a period of fasting and reflection in Christianity that starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Typically, people choose to “give up” something for the duration of Lent.
The idea is that it should be something that requires sacrifice. For example, I routinely gave up soda during Lent as a child. But there was one year that I made the difficult decision to give up the same sweet treat as the Queen.
What did Queen Elizabeth give up for Lent every year?
It’s chocolate! This was, without a doubt, the Queen’s favorite sweet, according to former royal chef Darren McGrady. In fact, chocolate was strictly forbidden in the royal household during Lent. In his book, Eating Royally, he mentions that the chefs would go to great lengths to prepare a feast of chocolates for her to enjoy on Easter Sunday.
Luckily, the Queen’s April 21 birthday was always after Lent, even though she was cutting it close. She always celebrated with the same thing: a big chocolate cake. McGrady says that the kitchen would prepare a twelve-inch chocolate layer cake covered in chocolate ganache. It was decorated with a simple “Happy Birthday” written on top in royal icing. Talk about a cake fit for a queen!
