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Since tying the knot in 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton have made it clear that they’re doing things their own way, and according to former palace butler Grant Harrold, that has included breaking a pretty unusual royal tradition that King Charles is still hanging onto.
While talking to UK coffee brand Coffee Friend, Harrold said there’s a surprising difference between what happens when someone has tea with elder royals like the king and when William and Middleton are the ones doing the hosting.
“If you’re being entertained in the presence of the royal family or at one of their homes, it’s most likely you will drink out of a teacup and saucer,” Harrold said, via Hello! magazine.
Invited for tea at the Wales’ home, Adelaide Cottage? “You can be sure you’ll be given a mug,” he said.
“If you’re with the King and Queen, and it’s more of an occasion, you’ll probably be served tea or coffee in a cup and saucer or a demi cup,” he explained.
It makes sense that the king would be more stringent when it comes to formality and royal protocol than his son’s family would be. But after all of the buzz about how the Prince and Princess of Wales are on a mission to modernize the monarchy, there’s a chance that William and Middleton’s more relaxed nature may stick around even after he takes the throne.