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Queen Elizabeth’s royal dinner party protocols: the golden rule Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke and why you’re not allowed to visit the bathroom

STORYTracey Furniss
Dining alongside Queen Elizabeth is no piece of cake. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram
Dining alongside Queen Elizabeth is no piece of cake. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram
Royalty

  • Even Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton have to follow these royal rules – but Harry and Meghan committed faux pas with their PDA
  • However, Meghan would have been exempt from the ‘no bathroom breaks’ protocol when she was still pregnant with Lilibet Diana

When dining with the British royal family, there are certain rules that must be observed – especially when Queen Elizabeth is hosting. Even Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton have to follow protocol. However according to the British tabloids, it seems that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were true to form when it came to shunning the royal rule book in this area.

The scene is set in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace for a royal banquet. Photos: @theroyalfamily/Instagram
The scene is set in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace for a royal banquet. Photos: @theroyalfamily/Instagram
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Even before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit their senior royal jobs, they began to find themselves uninvited from dinner functions because of their disregard for protocol, according to royal insider Stefanie Jones.

The couple apparently ignored traditional seating plans in order to sit next to each other, breaking the long-standing high society rule of mixing couples around the table. Meghan was said to have dismissed the etiquette as “exclusive” and “traditional”.

According to Grant Harrold, an expert on royal etiquette and former butler to Prince Charles talking to Insider, “normal dining rules state that couples are split up when they enter the dining room. The idea is to mix couples up to help with conversation.”

The other faux pas committed by the couple? PDA. Already known for showing affection together in public, insiders dishing the dirt to the British tabloids claimed Meghan was openly affectionate with Harry at the dinner table, causing Harry’s friends to “roll their eyes”.
Queen Elizabeth is seen laughing with Prince Charles at a banquet in Windsor Castle for the Emir of Kuwait in 2012. Photo: AP
Queen Elizabeth is seen laughing with Prince Charles at a banquet in Windsor Castle for the Emir of Kuwait in 2012. Photo: AP

For everyone else, however, if you are dining with Queen Elizabeth at one of her many palaces or estates, you can be sure the seating has been planned to a tee. The queen plans her conversations to a tee, too. According to an expert from Debrett’s – the British etiquette and coaching company that dates back to 1769 – she chats with the guest on her right during the first course, and then to the guest on her left during the second course. Guests must only begin eating once the queen picks up her knife and fork, but must also finish eating when she finishes.