King's former butler advises eating burgers with a knife and fork

A former royal butler insisted the only way to eat a burger was with a fork and knife – but an etiquette expert said that may not always be the case.

“While it’s true that most people use their hands to eat a hamburger, doing it properly using a knife and fork brings a real sense of refinement to the dining experience,” said Grant Harrold, butler to the King Charles III from 2004 to 2011. recently told the Telegraph in the United Kingdom

Harrold added that it is “good etiquette” to eat a burger with cutlery – and that this had been the case for his previous customers.

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“Using a knife and fork was certainly the technique employed by members of the monarchy during my tenure at Buckingham Palace and Highgrove House, as well as by the many high-end clients I worked with around the world at over the years,” he said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Harrold for comment.

A man who was butler to King Charles III said the only way to eat a hamburger was with a fork and knife. (iStock)

While it's true that a person should consider using cutlery when eating a burger at a fancy event, that's not the case for every occasion, said Rosalinda Randall, an etiquette expert based in California, at Fox News Digital.

When “dining at a distinguished, royal or diplomatic event, a knife and fork will be used for most dishes,” she said.

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That includes hamburgers, Randall added, noting that “the rule of dining etiquette dictates that if a basic thin hamburger, for example, is served as one of the dishes, a knife and fork are preferred.”

Still, “it won't be easy to maneuver if the burger is double stacked,” she said.

“Using cutlery to eat foods that most people hold in their hands can seem strange or even awkward,” said a California etiquette expert. (iStock)

“Once cut, the burger will undoubtedly be dismantled and made a mess.”

Foods such as pizza, tacos and burgers are “typically eaten with our hands and on informal occasions,” she said.

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“Using cutlery to eat foods that most people hold in their hand can seem strange or even awkward,” Randall said.

“Cutting small bites allows you to continue a conversation. »

Besides a royal banquet, there are other occasions where it would be considered good etiquette to eat a hamburger using a fork and knife.

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This includes having meals in gourmet establishments but also in practical situations such as during a job interview or during a meeting.

A job interview or date would be an appropriate time to eat a burger with cutlery, an etiquette expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

“Removing small bites allows you to continue a conversation,” Randall said.

Additionally, a person would want to use cutlery if they didn't want “sticky stuff under their fingernails” or leaving fingerprints on a wine glass.

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Using cutlery also helps a person eat more slowly, she said.

Still, if someone doesn't know what to do when presented with a hamburger at a fancy dinner, there's an easy way to solve the problem, Randall said.

King Charles III attends a state banquet at the presidential palace at Bellevue Palace in March 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

If the person hosting the event eats a hamburger with a fork and knife, the guests should do so too, she said.

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“It’s polite to follow their lead,” Randall said.