He’s spilling the tea…
King Charles’ former butler, Grant Harold, recently revealed the proper way to stir a cup of tea — and you might need to make some adjustments from here on out.
“You’re supposed to do a very gentle back and forward motion,” Harold said in a video with Hello! Magazine, demonstrating with a small spoon.
He explained that if you stir the beverage in a circular motion, it could have some adverse affects.
“Because if you do that, you’re going to make noise and it’s going to go everywhere,” he furthered.
Harold also advised that when holding the cup, you’re supposed to keep your pinky down instead of up.
Over the years, Harold has not only served King Charles, 74, but also his wife, Queen Camilla, 75, as well as Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton, 41, and Prince William, 41, according to the outlet.
During the video, in which he was teaching an etiquette lesson, Harold even explained the protocol around eating a scone.
He revealed that you’re not supposed to cut a scone in half, and admitted that it doesn’t matter whether or not you put on the jam or cream first.
“The reality is, it’s both,” he said about the dressing of the pastry. “At garden parties, I have seen fifty-fifty. I’ve seen the cream on top, I’ve seen the jam on top, and the reason being, the late Queen, as with the royal family, they’re very diplomatic.”
The butler explained that there are two ways of making a scone — the Cornish way, which means that you have cream on top, and the Devonshire way, where jam is on top.
Harold continued about the family, “They always try to do things that are fair… So, if you’re going to be a good host or hostess, always do a mixture of both and it stops any major family fallouts.”
And, the discussion surrounding the proper way to eat a scone comes at a very important time — last week, Kate Middleton revealed how she takes her scones, but it caused some controversy among some Brits, per The Mirror.
“I always do jam and then cream,” Middleton said at a tea party honoring the NHS at St. Thomas’ Hospital, the outlet reported.
Prince William also weighed in on the debate, jokingly declaring, “I go whatever is closest to me.”
Of course, there are also some other etiquette rules around food that the royal family must follow.
Queen Camilla even confirmed one of them during a 2018 appearance on “Masterchef Australia.”
The show’s judge, Gary Mehigan, asked the Queen if there any foods that the royals were prohibited of eating, to which she responded, “I hate to say this, but garlic. Garlic is a no-no.”
“Garlic is a no-no?” Mehigan further probed. “Because you’re talking, chatting?”
“Yes, exactly,” the Queen admitted. “So you always have to lay off the garlic.”
