The Royal Family reportedly eschews a certain “downmarket” dining implement, with not a single one to be found within the walls of Buckingham Palace.
Lady Anne Glenconner, former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, disclosed an amusing anecdote involving Queen Camilla and a fish knife.
When presented with cutlery options, Camilla, alongside two others, humorously quipped “phone for the fish knives, Norman”, echoing the words from John Betjeman’s poem ‘How to Get On in Society’, as reported by The Times.
Etiquette expert William Hanson has commented on the matter, noting that fish knives are considered “downmarket” and revealing that Buckingham Palace’s cutlery collection, dating back to Georgian times, predates the invention of fish knives, hence their absence.
He said: “There are two things: one is the class thing and fish knives are seen as downmarket.
“But Buckingham Palace’s cutlery goes back to Georgian times and fish knives had not been invented then, so they don’t have them by default.”
Hanson further illustrates the Royals’ aversion to fish knives in his book ‘Just Good Manners’, suggesting that possessing such utensils might indicate one is a “touch common”.
In his book’s preface, Hanson also delves into the proper way to dress scones with jam and cream, which varies depending on location.
He instructs that in Devon, cream should be applied first, while in Cornwall, it comes last; elsewhere, the choice is left to personal preference, reports the Express.
However, he also expressed a preference for remaining “neutral” and suggested trying both methods – adding cream first to one half and vice versa to the other.
Last year, Princess Eugenie revealed a peculiar dining rule that the Royal Family adheres to, stating that having knees visible at the table is strictly forbidden.
Eugenie, who is 11th in line to the throne, shared on the Table Manners podcast that if she broke this rule, her mother would jokingly ask if her knees had been “invited to lunch”.
According to a source, the Royal Family also follows an etiquette rule regarding napkin usage, where they use the fold to wipe their faces and avoid getting their clothes dirty.
In 2022, Gyles Brandreth appeared on This Morning and shared that the late Queen Elizabeth was a stickler for proper table manners, prohibiting phones at the table and expecting attendees to “sit at the table nicely”.