No garlic, no autographs, no Monopoly! The strangest royal etiquette rules

The royals have a whole team of chefs at their beck and call to make any food they can dream of. However, some of these requests are a little quirky. From eating black bananas to popping out for a McDonalds, these are the royals’ weirdest eating habits…

A very important rule within the British Royal Family is the correct use of forks. Royals eat in the continental way, which means they hold forks with the left hand and knives with the right. Cutlery sets used by them should never be left on the table while eating, unless they are holding a glass or need to go to the restroom. If that’s the case, they should cross the cutlery on the plate to let the staff know that they are not done eating.

Royals are not allowed to give autographs. Why? Because of the risk of their signatures being forged. This must be particularly difficult to Meghan Markle. Let’s not forget that before being part of the Royal Family, she was not only an actress but also a calligrapher. She even told Good Housekeeping that she believes “handwritten notes are a lost art form”.

One of Queen Elizabeth’s trademarks is the use of beautiful, elegant hats. But did you know this is another rule she must follow on her attendance to formal events? Diana Mather, royal etiquette expert, said in an interview for BBC: "The old rule is that hats are never worn indoors after 6pm, because that is when the ladies changed into evening dress, and tiaras and the family jewels would come out”.

The delicious plant is one of the most common cooking ingredients across the world, but you will not find commonly on royal menus. According to the Sunday Express newspaper, “garlic is banned from being included in foods eaten by royal family members". The reason? The strong seasoning can give you bad breath, which when meeting international dignitaries is not very polite.

When Prince Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan gave their tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey, Meghan claimed she, and her inner circle, were "silenced" by protocol. The former 'Suits' star said: "Everyone in my world was given very clear directive - from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating - to always say, ‘No comment’. I would do anything they told me to do."

According to Marie Claire, there’s one specific royal rule when it comes to tiaras. Although it is an unwritten rule, young royal girls are to be gifted a tiara until their 18th birthdays.

Writer and etiquette professor Myka Meier told PEOPLE how important it is for the Royal Family members to hold a cup of tea correctly. They use the thumb and forefinger to hold the top of the handle, while the middle finger holds the bottom of it. They should avoid leaving lipstick stains all over the cup, so they have to take a sip from the same spot each time. The latter, according to Meier, applies to any kind of drink.

Queen Elizabeth sets the pace on each meal. As soon as she takes the last bite and puts the fork away, everyone else has to stop eating as well, whether they are done or not. Former royal butler Paul Burrell told The Guardian this rule was accidentally broken once, when a local prince forgot to see Her Majesty and continued eating after she was done. "Not wanting to make him feel awkward, she picked up her finger bowl and took a sip”, he said.

According to The Daily Telegraph newspaper, trading game Monopoly is off-limits at Buckingham Palace. In 2008, Prince Andrew visited the Leeds Building Society headquarters, to celebrate its renovation. The Duke of York got a version of Monopoly at the end of his visit, but he said: “We are not allowed to play Monopoly at home. It becomes very vicious."

The British Royal Family must remain politically neutral. In a video about TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2020, Prince Harry mentioned: “Many of you may not have known that I’ve never been able to vote in the UK my entire life."