Rules You’d Have to Follow at a Royal Dinner

Though it’s likely not in the cards for many of us, if you were to have dinner with the royal family, there are many strict rules that you would have to follow.

Charles has long been known for his passion for animals and the environment, and foie gras is among those concerns. Foie gras is fatty liver and is made by force-feeding ducks and geese, something Charles is against.

As shellfish can carry a great risk of food poisoning, they prefer not to eat it. Marie Claire states that as they have busy work schedules, getting food poisoning would mean having to cancel their schedules, which the royals would rather avoid.

The Independent states that the dress code for royal dinners is white tie, which is similar to black tie, except men are expected to wear a white bow tie and a wing collar, and women are expected to wear a long formal evening gown. 

Not only must you not stick your little finger out, but the Express states that the way royals hold their teacup is by the thumb and index finger pinching and supporting the top of the handle, and the middle finger supports the bottom of the handle. The other two fingers should be tucked under the teacup. 

Garlic is known for giving people smelly breath, and with the many people royals will meet on a daily basis, they would prefer to meet them without their breath smelling of garlic.

Royals will hold their fork in their left hand and their knife in their right hand. The tines of the fork need to be facing down, and you should eat with your elbows against your side, according to The Mirror. 

You can’t just say that you’re finished or are still eating. If you need to pause to have a drink or speak to someone, you should position your cutlery slightly tilted like a loose triangle. If you are completely finished, you should position your cutlery in the 6 o’clock position, with the top of the cutlery positioned at 12 and the handles at 6, according to Food Republic. 

Former royal butler, Grant Harrold, told Express that royals should fold their napkin in half, with the crease facing toward men and away from women. This is so if you need to dab your mouth, you can do so and then keep the stain out of sight. 

If you are only going to be running no more than 10 minutes late, then that is okay. However, if you’re going to be turning up any later than that, you will have to let the palace know. 

Even if you are only halfway through your meal, if the monarch has finished theirs, you are finished too. People also cannot start eating until the monarch has started eating. 

The monarch will start by talking to the person on their right during the first course, and will then talk to the person on their left during the second course, according to the Telegraph. 

Many people are superstitious for many reasons about the number 13, and the queen was worried about upsetting someone by having 13 people at a table. For this reason, she would either have less than 13 or more than 13 people sitting at each table, but never 13 exactly.