Queen a natural at serving jacket potatoes, says social media star Spudman

The Queen served jacket potatoes to celebrities alongside TikTok star Spudman at a reception at Clarence House on Wednesday.

Spudman, whose real name is Ben Newman, said Camilla was a “natural” at serving lunch to presenter Gaby Roslin and The Voice UK star Tom Read Wilson at an event celebrating Meals on Wheels Week.

At the event, Camilla met members of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC) who help to cater for elderly and vulnerable people.

They were joined by representatives from the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), who brought with them a branded food truck from which Camilla helped Spudman serve lunch.

Camilla, who is patron of the RVS, helped him load jacket potatoes with fillings, before ordering a tuna mayonnaise-filled potato for herself.

The social media star said: “That was the most surreal thing I’ve ever done – me and the Queen, in there, serving potatoes. What a whirlwind, honestly, amazing.

“She did really well, I was quite impressed – she’s a natural! Getting the butter on there, serving the customers, brilliant. She did a really good job.”

Camilla told Spudman that her son, Tom Parker Bowles, has “never forgotten” the jacket potato he served him when he visited his food truck in 2024.

“I was really impressed she knew who I was,” Spudman added.

He told the Queen about his dialysis treatment, and how he has continued to run his business with the help of a portable dialysis machine.

He said one thing he enjoys most about running his jacket potato food truck in Tamworth is talking to his customers, who have included Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Roslin, who was first to receive her loaded jacket potato from the Queen on Wednesday, said it was “possibly the strangest morning of my life”.

Roslin said: “The Queen served me a jacket potato. It’ll be one of those things that when I tell my daughters later, they’ll say, ‘What, sorry? The Queen served you a jacket potato?’.

“She gave me an extra blob of butter and then she loaded the cheese and the beans. It is possibly one of the most surreal things.

“And then we had a good giggle and Tom Read Wilson and I sung Spudman’s theme tune with the Queen serving baked potatoes. If you say that in a sentence, it doesn’t seem real.”

Next in the queue was Read Wilson, who performed Spudman-inspired lyrics while he waited for his lunch: “You know his tatties are never a dud, it’s a Spudman.”

He added: “I’m literally singing for my supper.”

At the event which the RVS used to promote its new digital volunteering platform GoVo, Camilla also met RVS supporter Tasha Ghouri, who made history as the first deaf contestant to appear on ITV’s Love Island.

Ghouri first met the Queen last year, when she tapdanced in front of her and performed with her Strictly Come Dancing partner Johannes Radebe.

Ghouri said: “(Camilla) kindly gifted me some tap shoes, which I still have. We talked about how she does ballet and how hard ballet is.

“It was lovely seeing her again. She was really lovely and warm and she really cares about what we have to say, and listens.

“It was really interesting seeing her with some jacket potatoes – not something you see every day.”

Camilla was presented with an honorary membership of the association by the NACC national chairman Neel Radia, who thanked her for her longstanding support.

Accepting the honour, Camilla said: “I really feel I should be thanking you all for everything you do. I know what an important service this is and how much pleasure you bring to the people who receive the meals.

“I do understand a little bit the pressure and the relief from loneliness for these people of having somebody to chat to.

“I’m sure everybody is so grateful to all of you for the time you give … to help them.”