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Royal secrets: What we've learned about royalty from the stars who've met them

November 18, 2016
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While stars generally aren’t starstruck with their daily encounters, they have had plenty to say about meeting Princes, Duchesses and Queens! Here's what we’ve learned from these A-list encounters with our fave royals...Photo: Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images
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1. They’re surprisingly normalLike their subjects and fans around the globe, members of the royal family eat, sleep and yes, drink! Me Before You star Sam Claflin, who has met Princes Harry and William, revealed to People NOW, “They’re totally normal.” He added: “It’s the same when I first met like some of my favorite actors in this industry – you kind of always imagine they’re going to be like superheroes or, I don’t know, like not real, not attainable. They are just very grounded and normal. They went to school. They have kids. They, you know, they enjoy having a drink. They eat!"Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images for Audi
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2. At the same time, they manage to be completely otherworldly. “The world they live in is so beyond our understanding,” Helen Mirren told the New York Times. The actress, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth in the 2006 film The Queen, added that as a royal, “You’ve never queued for anything. Ever, for anything. Every time you go in the street, the traffic is stopped for you. It’s a world you can’t imagine. "They are, in a way, aliens. But inside that, they are the same flawed, insecure, vulnerable, complicated human beings we are.” Photo: Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images
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3. They're extremely pleasant to be around. Actress Reese Witherspoon had the pleasure of meeting George's mom, the Duchess of Cambridge, back in 2011. The Sweet Home Alabama star recalled, "She was lovely... She seems like such a lady and I think it’s so nice now days to see someone with such nice composure and carries herself so beautifully." And it looks like royals are pleasant in more than one sense – literally! After meeting Duchess Kate, Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery, seen here, revealed the stunning brunette smells "like roses".Photo: Getty Images
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4. Some of them are downright cute!President Barack Obama called Prince George "adorable" after their post-bedtime summit at the Cambridges' home.Photo: Getty Images
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5. They are usually unfazed by slips in protocol.According to Us Weekly, music legend Phil Collins revealed he made not one, but two slip-ups when he was introduced to Queen Elizabeth at her son Prince Charles' 40th birthday in November 1988. The first was that he approached the monarch to introduce himself. "One has to wait for the Queen to approach one," he explained. "I also addressed her as 'Your Highness' instead of 'Your Majesty'. But, he concluded, "Neither faux pas seems to bother her, and she's quite friendly, referring to me as her son's friend, which tickles me to no end." Photo: PA
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6. Meeting one is admittedly nerve-racking.Taking a selfie with fans is one thing, but when it comes to curtseying and shaking hands with a member of the royal family, it’s safe to say a case of the butterflies might arise. After meeting Prince William and Kate Middleton at the 2014 Royal Variety Performance, One Direction’s Liam Payne admitted, "It's the most nervous I think I've ever been in my life." Photo: Yui Mok - WPA Pool /Getty Images
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7. But that won't matter – because they make you feel right at home. Making your guests feel welcome is etiquette 101, so it’s no surprise the royals are pros. Rachel Weisz met the Cambridges with her husband Daniel Craig, seen here, during the London premiere of Spectre. During their encounter, the actress said that she missed her husband while he was away filming for a year – and, as the wife of the well-traveled Prince William, who also is a helicopter pilot, Kate could apparently empathize. The royal responded to the remark with a sweet comment about the actress finally having Daniel home. Rachel said, "[William and Kate] make you feel really special. They're really good." Photo: Alan Davidson /WPA Pool / Getty Images

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