Members of the Royal Family have to follow a pretty strict and rather large set of rules, especially when in public.
While you'd think that some things just don't need explaining, the bizarre rulebook even extends to how royals should signal they need to use the toilet during a meal.
According to OK!, royals shouldn't loudly announce "I need the loo," but instead utter the more demure words "excuse me" and allow their dining companions to fill in the gaps.
Additionally, if they're not done eating at this point, they're expected to "leave their knife and fork crossed on their plate at an angle with the handles resting at the bottom right," per OK!.
Elsewhere, the matter of which foods to eat and when and how seems to make up a vast portion of the royal rulebook. For example, they have a really odd rule about the shapes of food they're allowed to eat.
"The royals never have square sandwiches because tradition has it that anyone presenting them with pointed-edged food is trying to overthrow the throne of England," former royal chef Graham Newbould recently revealed. Makes sense...
Meanwhile, other food rules seem to make more sense, such as avoiding seafood in case they get food poisoning, and staying away from pungent foods like garlic to avoid their breath smelling when they're talking to a room full of diplomats or some such.
Other, non-food-related, equally bizarre rules include the one where royal women can't bow their head to watch their step while descending staircases, instead having to keep their chin parallel to the ground — which just sounds plain dangerous.
Luckily, though, younger generations of royals are more and more likely to break rules they no longer believe are useful. For instance, Princess Kate and Duchess Meghan have both been known to branch out from the typically neutral nail varnish colours royals typically favour.
The Princess of Wales has also been known to take selfies with royal fans and reveal some of her favourite foods to members of the public — two things you would never have seen the late Queen do.
