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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Courtney Pochin

Queen follows strict knee rule when she sits down and taught Kate Middleton 'car swivel'

With the Queen's Jubilee the topic of conversation on many people's lips as Brits look forward to a bumper four day weekend, you might be wondering how you can act a bit more like a member of the Royal Family in your everyday life.

And it turns out there's one very simple change you can make to your daily routine, which will instantly make you seem a little more 'proper'.

Liz Wyse, an Etiquette Advisor for Debrett's has been sharing her expertise with The Mirror and she explained how the Queen and other women in the Royal Family, such as the Duchess of Cambridge, follow a certain rule when it comes to their knees.

Liz spoke about the etiquette training Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle will have received when they married Prince William and Harry.

Kate demonstrates how to sit 'elegantly' (Getty)

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She told how both would have been taught the 'correct' way to sit, which is with your knees together.

"I'm pretty sure they'll have been taught how to sit. It's definitely not done to cross your legs and if you've seen photographs of the royal ladies seated, they'll always have their knees together," she said.

"Sometimes they'll sit with their legs to one side, or they'll have their ankles crossed.

"I think legs crossed is considered to be rather inelegant."

The expert went on to say that a similar unwritten rule is followed when royal women get out of a car.

Once again the knees remain together, so a specific "swivel" movement is needed.

Liz explains: "You always have your knees together. You don't do anything that makes your skirt ride up.

"So getting out of a car definitely involves swivelling your bottom and sort of moving your feet out of the car, so that there's never any unsightly exposure of the leg."

Sounds a little complicated - definitely a move we'd have to practice a few times!

Do you have a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk

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