When it comes to hosting dinner parties or state banquets, the late Queen Elizabeth II stuck to her rules. For example, she was strict about what food could be served to guests, something that she and her husband, Prince Philip, disagreed about.
However, there is one traditional rule in the royal family that the former monarch was known for bending. Typically, the reigning monarch is the one to determine the pace at mealtimes, and as soon as they takes their final bite and puts down their fork, everyone must follow suit, as is the standard royal etiquette.
© Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II was known for being quite firm when it came to upholding rules
According to Laura Windsor, the founder of the Laura Windsor Etiquette Academy, who was trained by a former staff member of the royal family, this wasn’t the case with Queen Elizabeth II, who would break the rule when she had guests round.
In an interview with Reader’s Digest in July 2024, she explained: “Queen Elizabeth II was known to eat very quickly, but when she was in company, she slowed down so everyone could enjoy and finish their meals.”
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Queen Elizabeth II’s strict mealtime rules
Though she would willingly bend this rule, that doesn’t mean that her typical regimented frugality didn’t apply to other aspects of mealtimes. According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, she never had “anything over-the-top extravagant, as he revealed in an interview with The Mirror.
He explained: “The Queen was very frugal, likely due to her wartime upbringing. Ingredients like lobster, caviar, and foie gras were reserved for state banquets. On normal days, she was perfectly happy with comfort food, so we cooked meals like cottage pie.”
Moreover, there was one etiquette rule when hosting guests that proved to be a point of contention for the late monarch and her husband, Prince Philip.
Darren told Birmingham Live: “There weren’t banned foods, but the Queen didn’t like garlic or strong onions, viewing them as antisocial. Prince Philip, however, loved garlic and would have it at his dinner parties.”
It isn’t known whether her son, King Charles, upholds the same rule with regards to serving pungent food, but we do know that his wife, Queen Camilla, often “avoids chillies and garlic,” per an interview her son, food critic Tom Parker-Bowles, conducted with her.