Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis don’t eat with their parents at formal events for this sort-of understandable reason

“The rules start early on”

Kate Middleton and Prince William with George, Charlotte and Louis
(Image credit: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images and Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images/Future)

A former royal chef has revealed why royal children, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, aren't allowed to sit with their parents at formal dinners and the reason is both understandable and harsh. 


Kate Middleton may be astute about splitting her time equally between her royal duties and family life, but the royal rules are enforced from an early age and she can't let her children break them all. 

According to reports in The Mirror, “The rules start early on. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis had to learn very early on what they can and cannot do." So what can and can't they do? For example, the children must hold their parents' hands during outings and they're expected to uphold royal protocol at all times.

In addition, they also have household rules imposed by Kate and William including the one word that can't be uttered in their home and the habit William makes sure they all follow that was inspired by his late mother, Princess Diana. 

But perhaps the harshest rule is that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are not allowed to sit with their mum and dad at official dinners, even at Christmas dinner! Before they head off to the adults table, the youngsters must have “learned the art of polite conversation.” 

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Jonathan Brady - Pool/Getty Images)

Former royal chef Darren McGrady worked for both the late Queen and Princess Diana, so has a vast knowledge of royal life, especially when it comes to their favourite foods and their, perhaps least favourite, approaches to dining etiquette.

Speaking to The Mirror, the chef revealed that royal children were always made to eat formal dinners away from the other adults, mostly in the nursery with nannies, and were even separated as such during the Royal Family's Christmas lunch.

So why take the age old tradition of the kids table and enhance the idea by putting the children in their own room? According to McGrady, it was all about the kids learning proper behaviour. 

He shared, “The children always ate in the nursery until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table." 

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

It isn't just the children who have strict rules to follow, but the royal chefs too. One of the strangest? They are not allowed to serve pizza. McGrady previously told told Insider, "[I spent] Eleven years at The Palace and we never served pizza at all, not even at receptions. The menus at Buckingham Palace are very traditional French, which wouldn't lean towards having pizza on it."

Similarly, takeaway burgers were off the menu, but the family still enjoyed their own, royal version of the delicacy. McGrady revealed, "It always tickled me at Balmoral, we would make our own burgers. They would shoot deer, and we would do venison burgers. There'd be gorgeous cranberry and everything stuffed into them.

"They would have burgers, but not the buns. So they would eat it with their knife and fork!" 

News writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.