)
The women who marry into Britain's royal family have to take on all the customs and protocols that surround a 1,000 year old dynasty. There's a lot more to it than just learning how to curtsey, with approved ways to dress, sit, speak, even to eat. Then there is the matter of one's rank (1) within the 'Firm', which must be observed, for example, in the order of entering or leaving a public event.
So how do new recruits (2), like the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex, find out (3) what to do? Over a quintessentially British afternoon tea, HELLO! sat down with Grant Harrold, former butler to King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, who lifted the lid on (4) how those welcomed into the family "learn from within".
Grant said: "I believe that Princes William and Harry learned royal etiquette from their parents, and their wives learned from them; it's very much an internal thing." As an example, he recalled a widely seen moment from Trooping the Colour 2019, when Prince Harry seemed to correct his wife Meghan Markle on the Buckingham Palace balcony. The Duchess appeared to try to leave before Queen Elizabeth II, turning her back on the late monarch before her husband subtly reminded her to "turn around". "That is a perfect example of how the royals learn from within," Grant explained, adding that in the six years he worked as a royal butler, he "never witnessed" any of them attending etiquette classes.
MORE:
- Stars with eco-friendly cars
- James Corden’s big move
Admitting that this way of doing things isn't infallible - "The problem is this method isn't for everyone," - he says that royal staff have firsthand experience of it themselves. "Staff learn 'the royal way' through practice, and anyone else in the household (5) is expected to do the same," he says. Grant, who is lucky enough to have dined with many of the royals, explained that from stirring tea correctly to placing a knife and fork at the end of a meal and even positioning a napkin perfectly, etiquette is "simply passed on".
1. Rank = Position within a hierarchy
2. Recruit = Person newly enlisted to an organisation
3. To find out = To discover
4. To lift the lid on = To reveal
5. Household = Group of people who live together
Elige tu plan favorito para aprender inglés.
Sin reservas, Simplemente llama y habla
Duración de las clases: 25 min
Acceso incluido a la plataforma online ASTEX Languages
Webinars sin costo adicional
1 clase semanal
APÚNTATE POR 5,5€/ CLASE 22€ AL MES5 clases semanales
APÚNTATE POR 3,5€/ CLASE 70€ AL MES2 clases semanales
APÚNTATE POR 4,9€/ CLASE 39€ AL MESConoce más aquí
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)