You used a restaurant napkin wrong! Etiquette expert William Hanson explains the do's and don'ts of napkins (including why they should NEVER be folded into a swan shape)

By Ted Thornhill, Mailonline Travel Editor

Published: 08:45 BST, 13 April 2024 | Updated: 08:45 BST, 13 April 2024

You've misused your restaurant napkin, but etiquette expert William Hanson is here to help.

Mr Hanson produced a TikTok video which went viral, with over 670,000 views, in which he explains the do's and don'ts make the towel.

In the video, also posted on Mr. Hanson's Instagram, the Merlin of good manners explains that the napkin when you leave the table and that you intend to return – say for a visit to the toilet – is placed on your seat, or on the arm of the chair if it is equipped with one.

Pro tip - never place it on the back of the chair'.

Mr. Hanson continues: 'If you leave the table completely because you have finished the meal, it is placed in a neat pile to the left. hand side of your setting. There is no need to bend it into a neat shape.'

And Mr. Hanson added in a caption: 'And definitely don't fold it into a swan - that's common!' When you place the napkin on the table when finished, y does he have any places on the table that are off-limits?

Mr. Hanson told MailOnline Travel: 'Yes, avoid anything like the plate or cutlery. An empty surface is all you need - usually the space to the left of where the bread plate was when you started eating, but this space will have been emptied after the first or main course .'

Do the same rules apply to paper napkins?

Mr. Hanson said: 'In general, yes. Paper towels tend to fly away...