Royal chef explains why William and Kate don't eat Christmas dinner with their children

When you're a member of the royal family, there are a number of rules that you are expected to follow. There's royal stair etiquette which dictates how you must descend, and royals are banned from eating this type of food. And it's not just the senior members of the family that must follow particular protocols and traditions - the little royals also have rules that they must follow, too. 

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis might be young but they also have to learn about what they can and cannot do as part of the monarchy. According to one royal chef, that also includes not eating with their parents - even at Christmas dinner. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales have often spoken about their desire for their children to have a normal upbringing, spending quality time with them and shielding them from the public eye as much as possible. However, when it comes to meal times, Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly don't always eat with George, Charlotte and Louis as the young Wales' 'aren't allowed to sit with' their parents.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady previously worked for both the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, and he told Harpers Bazaar that the little ones are unable to eat with their parents during the holidays, or at official dinners. Why? McGrady says it's in a bid to teach them the art of 'polite conversation'. As per the Mirror, 'Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis had to learn very early on what they can and cannot do' and that includes being separated from their parents at meal times. 

McGrady said that the royal children would instead eat with their nannies, adding: "The children always ate in the nursery until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table. The royal nursery wasn’t just for educating the minds of the young royals but educating their palates, too.

"Nanny always had control of the menu and made sure they ate balanced meals that included not only lots of healthy vegetables but introduced them to new grown-up dishes too."

Well, now you know!