In many of our dreams to one day become a princess, a lot of us failed to consider the extensive list of rules that come with the tiara.
This is the current reality for Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton as these are just some of the strict etiquette rules they must follow.
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A princess can’t just announce that she’s going to the washroom.
Instead, they must politely ” excuse themselves .”
If at dinner, they must place their napkin flat beside their plate before going.
The royal family is completely banned from eating any crustacean cuisine while out.
You won’t find a picture of Meghan and Kate eating at Red Lobster anytime soon!
This rule is in place as a precaution against illness.
The last thing the Queen wants is to endure some sort of food reaction while away from her home, according to The Sun .
Both Duchesses must always have their chins level to the ground.
Royal etiquette expert Myka Meier spoke to The Sun about the reasoning behind this rule.
“When your chin points down or up it gives the impression that you’re not paying attention or not interested in what’s happening.”
This even applies to when they are walking down stairs.
Seems dangerous, no?
Meghan has had to kiss crossing her legs goodbye.
Instead, she must do what is called the ” Duchess slant .”
It involves slanting your legs to one side with your ankles together.
When the Queen is present, the men bow their head and the women must curtsy.
They are not to curtsy like they’re in a Disney movie, though; it’s to be subtle with one leg behind the other and a slight dip.
It’s not just the Queen that the ladies must curtsy to, either.
Meghan is expected to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Camilla, says Meier.
All eyes must be on the Queen’s purse since she uses it to send subtle social signals.
This purse means business!
For instance, if the royal family is at dinner and the Queen puts her bag on the table, it means that she wants to end dinner, like, now.
PDA at a formal function is an absolute no.
Don’t expect these ladies to kiss and tell!
According to Meier via People “the royals often adjust PDA to mirror the formality of the event they are attending.”
This rule is especially enforced when members of the royal family are travelling
This is because they don’t want to offend other cultures that may be more conservative.
They must hold teacups properly.
Royals take their tea time very seriously.
Meier explained to People that to hold their teacup, royals must pinch the top of the handle with their thumb and index finger.
That’s not all. They should also take a sip from the same spot to avoid lipstick stains.
And hold the handle of the cup at a “3 o’clock” position, always.
Who knew drinking tea could be so stressful!
They must gracefully exit a car — no matter how difficult it is.
For Meghan and Kate to avoid having their, um, crotches photographed, they must ” swivel and pop ” to get out of the car.
This means swiveling to the door as close as possible and then, keeping their legs together outside of the car, “popping” up.
They must take these dining etiquette rules very seriously.
They can’t just chow down like most of us do.
Instead, they must do things like balancing their food on their forks instead of stabbing at their food.
There’s also holding their knives in the left hand always and their fork in the right.
