Giada De Laurentiis Admits She Was “So Nervous” Cooking for the Royal Family

Food Network star chef Giada De Laurentiis has seen (and cooked) it all, but she got rattled when she was preparing a meal for Prince William and Kate Middleton at a charity event back in 2011. The Giada at Home star told Life & Style that the royal family made her nervous even though she cooks for a living — and is on TV!

“I was so nervous,” Giada, 47, admitted at her Las Vegas restaurant Giada on Oct. 11. Giada said she was advised by security not to make eye contact with William, which threw her off. “When you’re serving [them] food and [William is] asking you a question, all I can think is, ‘You’re not supposed to look at him so I guess I’ll look over here,’” she recalled. “It’s one of those awkward moments in your life. You get so nervous!”

Making lasagna for William and Kate proved a nerve-wracking task for Giada. “I was thinking, ‘I just want to get out of here!’” she continued. Oh no — that sounds awful. But, honestly, can you blame her? It’s not every day you cook a meal for the royal family. We’re sure anybody would have been nervous but knowing Giada, the meal was up to Will and Kate’s standards.

In 2014, she also opened up about the experience. “Cooking for Prince William and Duchess Kate would probably be the most memorable moment of my career,” she told Closer Weekly when looking back over her best days. “It was phenomenal. They wanted to eat light and vegetarian. I think William wanted to not feel heavy because he had to go play polo afterward!”

And, it turns out her lasagna was a hit after all! “Prince William asked what my secret was,” Giada boasted. “He told me that he’s been trying to perfect lasagna for years because Kate loves it.” So cute!