How Meghan Markle Prepared for Tea With the Queen

The actress went to a quaint place in California to learn proper etiquette.

Before Meghan Markle met Queen Elizabeth II, she went to the Rose Tree Cottage in California to learn proper tea etiquette. 

Edmund Fry owns the Pasadena tea house and was tasked with teaching Markle proper protocol. He says she visited nine months ago and her friends made the reservations.

"I had no idea she was coming," he told Inside Edition. 

He says there are about 25 rules to consider when having tea.

One of the rules is, "Never turn the cup over or the plate over to see where it's made."

"The spoon has to be left at 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock," Fry said. "The handle should always be at 3 o’clock.” 

When having tea with the queen, Markle's napkin must correspond with her clothing, white napkins for light colored clothing and a black one for darker clothing. 

They would nosh on finger sandwiches that include roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and scones. 

When eating scones, he said to cut them across and the jam should go on first then clotted cream. However, other regions of the U.K. have their own preferences on which to apply first.

RELATED STORIES