10 Dinner Rules the Royal Family Must Abide By

Being in the royal family certainly has its rules when being in public. You have to behave in a certain manner in order to keep the reputation clean. But it turns out that the rules apply behind the scenes too. Even at dinner, there are certain things the royal family must and mustn’t do.

1. They would never have pasta for dinner.

Pasta would never be on the Queen’s menu, as she liked to keep things quite soft and easy to digest, instead of a heavy dinner to end the day. The chefs at Buckingham Palace were well-informed about this preference and would never serve this dish.

2. When the Queen was finished eating, everyone else was too.

It is common etiquette at royal dinners to only leave your seat once the Queen was finished, never before. Moreover, when she was done, you were to stop eating and bring the dinner to an end. Despite these rules, the Queen has been known to keep a bit of food on her plate in order to give everyone else a chance to finish their meals.

3. Conversations with the Queen had a pre-established order.

Though it is common to have conversations with everyone at the table, this wasn’t the case with the Queen. As it turns out, the 2 people seated on either side of the Queen were to take turns when speaking to Her Majesty. The person on the right, considered the guest of honor, speaks to her first. Whilst sitting on her left, you must not, under any circumstance, speak to the Queen before your turn.

Fun fact: Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton once disregarded this rule while sitting on her left side, so the Queen had to teach him. “I was excited and started to talk to her, but she said, pointing to my left, ’No, you speak that way first, and I’ll speak this way, and then I’ll come back to you,’” he reported.

4. If someone from the royal family wants to swap meals with you, you must do so.

This is quite a peculiar rule, however, Prince Phillip was known for swapping his meals with the staff. Most likely, he liked the look of other people’s meals over his own, so he just asked them for their plates. Of course, you can’t say no to a royal.

5. Garlic was off limits.

Darren McGrady, a former chef for the royal family, has reportedly mentioned, “The Queen would never have garlic on the menu. She hated the smell of it, she hated the taste of it.” Since the Queen would not eat garlic, neither did the rest of the guests at the dinner. Instead, Darren said they would have a softer dish, consisting of vegetables and salads.

6. They must enter the room in a certain order.

Just as conversations at the table follow a certain order, so do entrances into a room. There is a specific hierarchy that must be respected, called the Order of Precedence. Obviously, the Queen was first, followed by William and Kate, and finally, Harry and Meghan.

7. The Queen would never have 13 guests at dinners.

The Queen herself wasn’t superstitious, but she did worry about the other guests feeling uncomfortable if assigned the number 13. This is such a thoughtful thing to do that we can’t help but appreciate her for thinking about her guests feeling a certain way.

8. There are no bathroom breaks.

Taking bathroom breaks during royal dinners isn’t necessarily prohibited, but it is frowned upon. There are special cases for guests that are pregnant and might need to use the bathroom, but other than that, it’s best to stay put.

9. When in doubt, follow the Queen.

It’s okay if you forget certain rules at the dinner table. If you were ever confused about what the proper way to sit was, or which fork went with what dish, you could always just take a look at the Queen and do as she did.

10. When the Queen entered the kitchen, everyone stopped.

It didn’t matter if dinner was just 30 minutes away, the Queen could enter the kitchen to check the progress at any moment if she wanted to. If she did, the whole kitchen ceased their cooking until the Queen left, then they resumed.

Do you follow any of these rules during your dinners at home? Or do you have other rules you follow?