Meghan Markle can shut her own car door – so why can't Prince Charles iron his own shoelaces?

The Duchess of Sussex was spotted shutting her own car door this week during her first solo engagement, at the Royal Academy of Arts. This is apparently significant, with the Sun’s royal correspondent tweeting: “A princess [sic] who still takes the time to shut her car door.” Whether it will happen again remains to be seen, now the strangeness of it has been pointed out, but there are many everyday things the royals – mostly Charles, really – cannot or will not do.

? Carry cash The Queen is rarely seen without her Launer handbag, though it famously never contains any money – except, reportedly, for a neatly folded ￡5 note, and occasionally a tenner, for the church collection on Sundays.

? Squeeze their own toothpaste One of the enduring stories about Prince Charles is that someone squeezes his toothpaste on to a brush from a silver dispenser. Although this rumour has never officially been debunked, it is thought his then-valet Michael Fawcett only did this for a short while after Charles had broken his arm.

? Sleep in a friend’s guest bed Earlier this year, Tom Bower claimed in his new biography of Charles that the prince would send furniture, including paintings and an orthopaedic bed with linen, ahead when he and Camilla were going to stay with friends.

? Wear unironed shoelaces Yes, Charles again. Brian Hoey claimed in his 2011 book that a valet would press the prince’s shoelaces. He is not considered one of the world’s best-dressed men for nothing.

? Open a car door According to Hoey, Prince Edward “was said to have reprimanded a butler because the man was not outside the house when he arrived back and Edward had to open the car door himself”. Perhaps it had the child-lock on. Hoey adds that Edward’s driver is “instructed to face the front at all times”.

? Pay tax The Queen isn’t required to, although she has chosen to pay income tax since 1992. Which is good. Less admirable are the investments her private estate has made in offshore funds, revealed in the Paradise Papers.

? Vote It is considered unconstitutional for the monarch to vote in a general election, though not against the law. A palace spokesperson told Newsweek in 2017 that “by convention” senior members of the royal family do not vote.

? Take selfies Meghan, as a self-respecting millennial, once had a blog and popular Instagram account – but no more. A fan, greeting Ms Markle – as she was then – in Nottingham asked for a selfie and was told: “We’re not allowed to do selfies.”

? Unwrap presents on Christmas Day On Christmas Eve, according to the royal family’s official website, they “lay out their presents on trestle tables and will exchange their gifts at teatime”. It’s a relic of the royal Christmases when they were all still German.

? Recognise clingfilm Spotting some carefully preserved leftovers at Clarence House, Charles – according to Bower’s book – “shrieked”. “Fearing the worst, Camilla dashed in after him. ‘What’s this?’ asked her husband, pointing at the food. ‘It’s clingfilm, darling,’ she replied.” To be fair to Charles, there is something creepy about cling film, not to mention the horrific single-use-plastic aspect of it. The Queen, of course, favours Tupperware.