The royals enjoy a good summertime barbeque but there is one thing when it comes to dining etiquette that they will never do.

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William and Kate holding food

The Royal Family like to use their cutlery (Image: Getty)

The Royal Family like to indulge in summertime classic foods during their holidays and while they may like the same things that we do, they usually eat them in a different way.

With the sun well and truly shining most members of the Firm will likely organise outings and barbeques with their respective families.

But they still like to keep up appearances even during less formal events, according to a former royal butler.

Grant Harrold, who worked as a butler for King Charles from 2004 to 2011, said the royals like to take advantage of all the perks the sunny season has to offer and revealed how they like to eat hamburgers – but in a different way.

Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, he revealed: “When it comes to eating the food, they would use the correct cutlery, there would be knives and forks.

Prince William and Princess Kate enjoying ice cream in South Wales in 2020

Prince William and Princess Kate enjoying ice cream in South Wales in 2020 (Image: Getty)

“I’ve never seen a royal pick up any food with their hands, but the younger ones will.

“The older royals use utensils because they’re more traditional, and they’re slightly more formal.

“They would definitely eat a hamburger, for example, with a knife and fork as they won’t want to get messy.”

Mr Harrold also revealed the major differences between a royal BBQ and one we might have at home, as he confirmed there are “seating plans” made with both BBQs and picnics in the royal household.

He said: “The one thing about the King and the Queen, is they’re very much lovers of the outdoors.

“As soon as we have good weather, it’s quite common for them to have dinners and lunches and even breakfast outside.

“They’re very much fans of the summer weather and making the most of it, so they love to dine al fresco.

“They still have seating plans at a royal BBQ, it’s all done properly and correctly – it’s the same with BBQs and picnics.”