Being part of the British royal family may seem like a dream come true.
There are rules forhow they dress, how they conduct themselves in public, and even how they eat.
Although a royal banquet may be glamorous and exciting, there’s plenty to consider besides enjoying the food.
We’ve rounded up food rules you may never have thought of that the royals follow.
“The palace steward would stand behind the queen,” McGrady toldHuffPost.
So, if you eat slowly, your meal could be taken before you finish.
If you eat too fast, you’ll be waiting a long time before the next course.
Now that the crown has passed toKing Charles III, he has this responsibility.
Once the conversation begins in one direction, it continues that way until about halfway through the meal.
And if you don’t follow these rules, there could be social consequences.
Just ask Lewis Hamilton.
One of his first royal experiences was in 2009 when he was invited to lunch with Elizabeth.
Hamilton was one of eight guests and was seated to the queen’s left.
He was understandably excited and began chatting with her right away, but she quickly corrected him.
Even making the tea has a precise order of operations.
Most of his instructions were straightforward, such as adding the milk after the tea.
After the tea is prepared, there are also expectations for how to drink it.
“So you always have to lay off the garlic.”
Royal chef Darren McGrady confirmed this garlic ban and added that onions are also a no-go.
He toldExpress, “We can never serve anything with garlic or too much onions.
The queen would never have garlic on the menu.”
But that doesn’t mean you might handle your fork and knife however you like.
Hanson was quick to outline some utensil rules that are still crucial to follow.
Royals and anyone dining with them should also be mindful that their fork doesn’t scrape against the plate.
“But to continue to do so is especially unfortunate,” he said.
The protocol royals are expected to follow with their napkins is actually quite practical.
William Hanson toldMarie Clairethat royals will place napkins in their lap right after sitting down.
Large napkins should be folded in half, and the crease should face away.
Keeping the napkin on your lap stops it from taking up space on the table.
It also keeps the napkin out of the way as the wait staff clears and sets the table.
So you might only imagine what kind of an operation preparing a multicourse banquet must be.
There are so many dishes to cook and time perfectly and multiple cooks working in the kitchen at once.
But all of that gets put on hold the second the monarch enters the kitchen.
Speaking toHuffPost, McGrady recalled the procedure if the queen entered the kitchen while they were working.
This was the rule even if what they were cooking was urgent or burning.
The queen was the priority, so they’d halt everything to pay their respects and speak with her.
“Then when she’d gone, we could carry on cooking,” McGrady said.
Darren McGrady toldHuffPostthat a portion of the royals' day is dedicated to dressing properly for every occasion.
“They would dress so many different times,” he said.
Often after breakfast, “they’d go off hunting or shooting and come back,” McGrady continued.
“Then they’d shower and change to go into afternoon tea.
And then they’d change again for dinner.”
However, he added they might sometimes opt for trendy colors.
Even more formality is expected for state meals.
These expectations would also apply to any guests at the royal dinners.
So, if you ever find yourself invited to the palace, be sure to dress your best.
She said that they didn’t often prepare expensive dishes.
Ingredients could be harvested from their garden, and they cooked freshly hunted game.
“It was quite economical, the way the kitchen was run.
We would do more extravagant things if we were entertaining,” Robb said.
In the same economic spirit, they were instructed not to throw any food away.
If not for him, then rehashed and used for a meal the following day."
For example, she said, leftover roast lamb could easily go into a shepherd’s pie.
And to avoid having too many leftovers, the kitchen staff was careful to keep portion sizes fairly small.
Robb said Charles didn’t like “huge amounts of food on the plate.”
Royals are also usually directed to refuse gifts from businesses for the same reason.
Because food is typically a more affordable gift, royals can usually accept it.
The queen would use her purse similarly to signal the end of meals.
It was a subtle way for her to avoid uncomfortable situations.
Rather than just setting their fork to the side, they’ll place their cutlery together on their plate.
There’s a specific positioning for this, which Hanson explained.
So there are very practical reasons for this etiquette.
