From the endless media scrutiny to the constant traveling to the inevitable family drama,
it's probably fair to say that being a royal is no cakewalk. Compared to all that, dining
etiquette might not seem like such a huge deal — but the truth is that the royals
have a whole heap of dining rules and restrictions that they need to remember.
For example, there are a good number of dishes and foods that you'll never see on a royal
table. Reportedly, Queen Elizabeth II isn't all that fond of garlic. On a YouTube Q&A,
former Buckingham Palace chef Darren McGrady said:
"Are there foods or ingredients the royal family dislike? The queen doesn't like garlic,
Dusty, we could never use it at Buckingham Palace."
The royal garlic ban has been quite well publicized in recent years, with many chefs and commentators
suggesting that it's better kept away from the royals anyway — after all, nobody needs
bad breath at a royal banquet.
Another food you won't be seeing is potatoes, and the queen tends to stay away from pasta,
too. Shellfish is another strict no-go, especially when touring, so as to avoid any risk of food
poisoning. But it's not all bad. The royal family has a number of avid hunters in its
ranks, and so their private dinners often feature game that's been bagged on that very
day. Sorry, Bambi.
For the royals, though, it's not just what's on the plate that matters — as the various
family members are expected to keep to certain behavioral rules when dining on official business.
It all starts with the napkin, which must be folded in half and placed in the lap. Then,
when used to wipe, you're supposed to use the inner part of the cloth, in order to keep
your clothes clean and hide the stains from your food. Don't worry too much, though, since
messy foods such as tomato sauces are also banned from the royal table.
You shouldn't expect to be chowing down on finger foods anytime soon, either. As the
queen's former chef, Darren McGrady, once told Insider:
"Her Majesty's Victorian upbringing dictates that the only thing you would pick up and
eat with your fingers is afternoon tea."
So this means that the Queen eats everything with cutlery — no matter what.
Tea is also a vital part of the day for the queen and her family, and — as you might
expect — there's a very specific way to drink it, too. Thumb and pointer finger are
supposed to be placed on top of your teacup's handle, while the middle finger steadies it
at the bottom of the handle. And don't even think about touching the cup itself — that's
a real faux pas.
And then there's the dress code. No doubt many would stress about what to wear when
dining with the queen, but the truth is it's all pretty simple: things are kept strictly
formal for dinner. And if you're thinking of wearing that new tiara, go right ahead…
but only if you're a married woman, since they're the only ones allowed to sport them.
During the meal itself, everyone at the dining table must stop eating as soon as the queen
finishes her meal. Additionally, it's not polite to leave the table before the queen
does. Luckily, the queen is more than aware of this, and tends to be considerate to her
guests. To that end, she often spends extra time on a small amount of food if she knows
that others around her are still eating their meals — so it's unlikely that you'll have
to leave without feeling satisfied. There is one telltale sign that the meal is really
over, though, and that's when the queen puts her purse on the table. Apparently, that's
your five-minute warning that everything's about to wrap up.
But what if you really need to leave the meal before it ends? Are you doomed to be shackled
to your table while the queen finishes pushing that last profiterole around her plate? Well,
thankfully not. The requirement is that you simply say "excuse me" — and then you're
free to leave. You'd better have a pretty good excuse, though.
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