Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake designer shares Queen's quick-witted joke

Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake designer has revealed her hilarious interaction with the Queen

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 13: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Elizabeth II watch part of a children's sports event while visiting Vernon Park during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham on June 13, 2012 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake designer has shared her hilarious interaction with the Queen in the run-up to the big day. 

Baking a royal wedding cake is no easy feat – especially when your beautiful creation doesn't fit inside the palace. 

That's exactly what happened to Fiona Cairns, the brainchild behind Prince William and Kate's iconic wedding cake, when she attempted to transport the finished product into the Queen's official London residence. 

The baking expert shared the ordeal in the latest ITV royal documentary, The Day Will and Kate Got Married, recalling one hilarious encounter with Her Majesty in particular. 

In the week before the wedding, Fiona transported the cake in 40 boxes from her factory in Leicestershire to Buckingham Palace, where she and her eight-person team planned to assemble it. The laborious process to put together the three-foot masterpiece took two and a half days, as well as some unexpected home renovations. 

"We had to take a door down from the room below, for the trolley to go through with the cake," Fiona revealed. This DIY alteration didn't go unnoticed by the Queen, who was quick to remark on the missing door.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Fiona Cairns stands next to the Royal Wedding cake that she and her team at Fiona Cairns Ltd of Leicestershire made for Prince William and Catherine Middleton in the Picture Gallery of Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011 in central London, England. The marriage of Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, to Catherine Middleton is being held in London today. The Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the service which was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding and street parties are being held throughout the UK. (John Stillwell-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Fiona Cairns and her eight-tiered Royal Wedding cake 

(Image credit: John Stillwell-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

"I can remember her saying, 'I hear you've been dismantling my house,'" Fiona recalled. Fortunately for Her Majesty, the removal of the door was only temporary. "It was all put back in the end, so it was fine!"

Kate had asked Fiona to make the cake in February, giving her just two months to work on the lofty project. The esteemed baker was excited yet nervous about the challenge, admitting she had 'sleepless nights' in the run-up to the wedding. Kate was adamant about keeping the cake traditional, requesting a classic fruit sponge iced with cream and white frosting. She also asked for a piece of lace from her wedding dress to be replicated on the cake.

Fiona and her team got to work on the assignment straight away. Fruit cake needs to be baked months in advance for optimal flavor development, so there was little time to waste. 

Shockingly, after all that effort, nobody at the wedding ate the finished cake. 

Instead, Fiona and her coworkers cut 600 slices of a second fruitcake for the breakfast on the wedding day. Another 4,000 slices baked by Fiona were packed up in Prince of Wales tins and distributed as gifts. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.