The Weird Reason the Royals Might Weigh Meghan Markle Before and After Christmas Dinner This Year

There are many questionable royal traditions that don’t necessarily stand the test of time (do those guards at Buckingham Palace really need those giant hats?), but this most recent one really takes the cake. According to Ingrid Seward in the new issue of Grazia, the royals are apparently weighed right before and right after Christmas dinner. Yes, really.

But don’t worry…it’s not exactly as crazy as it sounds. The tradition apparently goes all the way back to King Edward VII (he was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and reigned from 1901 to 1910). Edward was apparently concerned that people weren’t getting enough to eat on the special day and used the scale as a way of making sure everyone got their fill. The modern-day weigh-ins are still apparently done on antique scales, and are just a “fun” way to help celebrate the holiday.

However, it hasn’t been 100% confirmed whether the whole “we all have to weigh ourselves in front of each other” tradition is real, so there’s a chance it’s all just hearsay. Either way, we hope Meghan and her mom, Doria (who’s spending Christmaswith the royals this year), have a chance to politely decline if they so choose.