Yevhen Klopotenko handed Prince Harry the favorite borscht of Princess Diana.

Yevhen Klopotenko met with Prince Harry

According to inkorr.com: The winner of the fifth season of the cooking show 'MasterChef' and chef Yevhen Klopotenko personally handed dishes he prepared to Prince Harry. He also noted that one of these dishes was a favorite of the late Princess Diana, mother of the Duke of Sussex. This was reported by 'Glavkom', referring to posts on Klopotenko's social media.

The chef met with the prince before his departure on the 'Ukrzaliznytsia' train back to Kyiv after a rich trip. Klopotenko handed over traditional Ukrainian dishes in the original packaging of his establishment. Additionally, he and the Duke of Sussex on camera named the most famous Ukrainian soup.

"We prepared for him real Ukrainian food: borscht, cabbage porridge, vereshchaka, and syrniki. All of this went with him on the train back. And so he wouldn't forget this taste - a jar of borscht dressing and my phone number, so when he cooks, he can write to me. Because Ukrainian food is not just about being full. It's about us, about roots, and even about royal families," said Yevhen Klopotenko.

Klopotenko also brought a copy of a letter from Buckingham Palace. In 1981, the South African charity Avril Elizabeth Home in Johannesburg approached famous people asking them to send their favorite recipe dishes.

"Princess Diana's favorite recipe is borscht. It consists of the following ingredients: beets, natural yogurt, onions, chicken broth, milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper," said the response, drafted on behalf of Princess Diana (through her secretary).

Letter from Princess Diana

The letter, dated April 7, 1981, was written at a time when Diana still bore the surname Spencer, but was about to become engaged to Prince Charles. The document does not mention cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, or pampushki, so Yevhen Klopotenko decided to prepare an original version of the princess's favorite dish.

"Prince Harry came to Ukraine. And I immediately thought: he has to taste what his mother loved. Once an Englishwoman wrote a letter to the palace to find out what dish Princess Diana loved the most. The answer was simple - borscht. Slightly adapted, but the essence remains," concluded Klopotenko.

Thanks to this meeting, Prince Harry was able to try real Ukrainian dishes, including borscht, which was his mother, Princess Diana's, favorite food. Yevhen Klopotenko not only handed the prince the dishes but also a copy of the letter confirming the choice of borscht as the favorite dish of the princess in 1981.