Prue Leith Reveals The Mortifying Gaffe She Made While Making Tea For The Queen

Prue received her CBE in 2010, before later being made a Dame.

If it’s one thing we’re all particular about, it’s how we take our tea.

So spare a thought for Prue Leith, who royally messed up making a cuppa for the late Queen.

The Great British Bake Off judge has recalled how she was once asked to make a brew for Her Majesty when she visited the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in Westminster.

She said (via The Sun): “I asked if she wanted it black and I put a piece of lemon in and then she said ‘no lemon’.

“I fished out the lemon and topped it up with hot water. She then said ‘I like it strong’.

“Poor woman. I gave her weak lemon tea and she wanted strong black tea.”

She added: “I would give my eye teeth now to give her a decent cup of tea.”

We’re sure the Queen wasn’t too disappointed, however, as Prue was made a CBE by the late monarch in 2010, before being given a Damehood for services to food, broadcasting and charity in the Queen’s 2021 Birthday Honours.

Prue recently revealed she chose not to go to the Palace to receive her Damehood, and there were no royals present when she was presented with the award.

Appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show on Saturday, Prue explained: “I had a letter from the Palace that said, ‘We can’t give you your Damehood for four years because there’s a backlog.’ I thought, ‘I haven’t got four years.’

“They said, ‘Your local Lord Lieutenant can do it or you can have it by post.’ So I had the Lord Lieutenant come.

“She was all dressed up in smart uniform at my house, my daughter read the citation and it was lovely and we had a drink. No royals involved.”

Prue also revealed she originally had an inappropriate motto for her coat of arms.

“You can have a coat of arms if you’re a Knight or Dame. I went with my husband and they said, ‘What do you want for your motto?’ And I said I was ‘JFDI’, by which I mean, ‘Just f-ing do it,’” she said.

“And they said, ‘We don’t think the ‘f’ will go down well in higher places.’ So I had, ‘Nothing in moderation’ [which is now also the name of her tour].”