This article originally appeared on gosocial.co
Playing Monopoly is strictly forbidden
While a lot of the rules the royal family have to follow are solemn and archaic, some are very much more tongue-in-cheek. One of which is something that any family who has had a screaming row over the Christmas holidays should also consider adopting in their own home. For whatever reason, the royal family observe a total ban on the game Monopoly.
Though it might seem at first like the ban is part of their dedication to political neutrality, it’s instead allegedly because of their competitive natures. As anyone who has ever played will know, Monopoly tends to bring out the least gracious versions of its players, and so it isn’t an appropriate pursuit for the monarch and their family.
It’s up to the King to declare war
As the new ruling monarch, King Charles III has a lot of ceremonial responsibilities. Maybe the most serious of them all is one that he probably hopes he will never have to carry out during his reign: declaring war. Though the Prime Minister, their government and both the House of Commons and House of Lords would have to debate any participation in a conflict, it is the king who officially announces that the nation is at war.
The reason why it falls to King Charles to make the official pronouncement is simple, when he was given the crown he also became Head of the Armed Forces. It is also his sole responsibility to decide when a war can be officially declared over, though he must consult with his government before doing so.
The King can drive without a licence
If you want the privilege of driving from place to place, you need to get a driver’s licence, it’s as simple as that. Or rather, it’s as simple as that… unless you’re the King. Because the authority from which driver’s licences are granted is the crown, there is no need for reigning monarchs to take and pass their test, as that would result in them bestowing the permission to drive on themselves.
To avoid that whole convoluted mess, the king or queen is allowed to drive freely without a licence, though this special privilege does not extend to their spouses, sons or daughters. So while King Charles could theoretically drive himself from Land’s End to John o’ Groats without a licence, if Queen Consort Camilla wanted to take over, she would need a licence to do so.
Six ravens must live at the Tower of London
According to legend, it is believed the kingdom and the Tower of London fill fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress. In case you think that’s a bunch of ancient superstition, there are currently nine ravens at the tower today. Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist on the protection of the ravens after he was warned that the Tower and crown would fall if they fled.
His order went against the wishes of his astronomer, John Flamsteed, who said the ravens came between him and his work in the observatory in the White Tower.
Royals are not allowed to refuse a gift
Most people know that refusing a gift is rude, and regifting one is even ruder, but it’s an even bigger deal to the royals. In fact, appearing gracious and appreciative is so important that the royal family have all been told to never, ever refuse a gift, whether it’s from a high-ranking diplomat, another royal family, or a school kid.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that gifts can just be handed to the royal family willy-nilly. Safety is obviously of the utmost concern, which is why the royals will be accompanied by guards who will keep an eye on any engagements with the public, and will caution against opening suspicious-looking items on the spot.
PDAs are strictly off-limits
Behaving appropriately as a royal couple is a game fraught with potential mistakes. Though it is important for any pair to seem happy and relaxed in each other’s company, lest the tabloids start to spread rumours about discord or bickering, any kind of personal touch is tightly controlled and must follow rules specific to the occasion.
Though gentle hand touches and even hand-holding may be permitted at more informal royal visits, on official occasions even this is looked down upon. Kissing, no matter how demure or restrained, is generally a no-no outside of weddings, and the most rebellious William and Kate have gotten is slinging arms around each other at the Olympics.
If the Monarch stands, everybody stands
If you’ve ever seen a regency drama then you probably remember countless examples of an important noble entering a room after being announced, only for everyone inside to set down their embroidery or books and silently stand up in a gesture of respect. Though much has changed since then, the idea of standing to show deference is still a cultural practice in the UK.
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself at an event where the royals will be in attendance, then you should know to stand up before the royal in question enters the room. Thankfully, there’s a pretty high likelihood that their entrance will be preceded by an announcement, so you’ll be given plenty of time to ready yourself.
Royals must always travel with funeral outfits
Just like the Scouts, the royal family have an obligation to always be prepared. Part of this constant readiness is always travelling with a set of black bereavement clothes, in case a death that needs to be marked with mourning attire happens while they are conducting a royal visit or other official business. In addition to the fact that these clothes need to be accessible at a moment’s notice, there are also other rules that bereavement garments need to follow.
For women, any dresses chosen need to be solid black, relatively high collared and fall below the knee, and should be paired with either a semi-sheer or opaque black stockings, as opposed to see-through or skin coloured.
Everybody must stop eating when the King has finished eating
When it comes to the royal family, there are rules about everything, from how to sit to how to stand and everything in between. Mealtimes are no different, and are in fact maybe more tightly controlled than other kinds of public events or ceremonies, due to the potential for mess or accidentally ungraceful behaviour. If given the honour of sharing a dinner table with a member of the royal family, there are several things you have to be aware of.
The most important rule is that once King Charles has finished eating, everyone at the table must also lay down their knives and forks, whether they are done or not. So if you’re invited to tea with the King, make sure your table manners are impeccable, but maybe also try to eat quickly!
Shellfish is banned
At first glance, the rules around food that monarchs follow seem like some of the most difficult to understand. After-all, why would anyone deprive themself of spaghetti and meatballs or tea sweetened with sugar? With that said, there’s usually some logic behind them, whether it’s to avoid unpleasantness like bad breath or things getting stuck in teeth or to minimise mess.
Though some food rules are followed by the whole royal family, the no-shellfish rule is not followed by Prince Harry, Prince William or their spouses. It is a very old rule put into place to prevent or minimise instances of food poisoning on royal visits, and was followed by Queen Elizabeth until the end of her life. King Charles, however, has been known to tuck into both shellfish and oysters on occasion!
Young male royals have to wear shorts
Just as what the royals can eat is strictly dictated by convention, fashion is another area where rules apply just as soon as you are born or marry into the family. While adult men and women have to adhere to strict standards about neatness, modesty and style, children have to follow their own set of guidelines even before they are old enough to pick their own clothes.
In addition to the fact that they can’t wear branded items in public (no Iron Man t-shirts or Paw Patrol backpacks for you, Prince George!) all male children are instructed to wear shorts until they are around eight or nine years old. This tradition dates back to the early 1800s, and helps to signal the transition between boyhood and manhood.
Women must wear hats to all events
Even within the category of official royal duties, there are various levels to how ceremonial or formal an event or visit is. As such, there are different wardrobe rules that apply in different situations. For example, while Princess Kate would be completely within her rights to wear a pair of jeans to play with George and Charlotte in her garden, she wouldn’t be allowed to wear the same thing to a high tea.
One of the rules that has waned in importance over the year is hats; specifically how and when they should be worn. While commonly held wisdom used to be that a hat should be worn by any royal woman attending a formal event, that practice is now becoming less common, with Princess Meghan and Princess Kate only sporting them occasionally, for weddings or other important events.
…unless they’re wearing tiaras
While hats are the go-to headwear for women when it comes to daytime events, eveningwear is another story. If you’re lucky enough to be both a princess (or another female member of the royal family) and married, then you are free and clear to wear a tiara to any glitzy nighttime event. How cool is that?
What you might not know is that wearing a tiara is not as simple as just plonking a circlet of diamonds on your head and calling it a day. Wearing a tiara is a delicate procedure that involves very careful hairdressing and perfect posture, and is only an available option to royal women on and following their wedding day.
Until 2011, Royals were not allowed to marry Roman Catholics
Being Roman Catholic was not popular to say the least in the majority-Protestant England of the 17th century. There was a huge panic about the future of the crown as King William II was a widower without any children, leaving the throne in the hands of his sister-in-law’s half brothers, a Catholic, was heir apparent after Queen Anne. Eventually, Roman Catholics were outright banned from becoming monarch. An amendment was made to the Succession to the Crown Act in 2011.
“The Succession to the Crown Act amended the provisions of the Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement to end the system of male primogeniture,” the Royal Family Website read, “under which a younger son can displace an elder daughter in the line of succession. The Act also ended the provisions by which those who marry Roman Catholics are disqualified from the line of succession.”
The Monarch is not allowed to sit on a foreign throne
When Queen Elizabeth II visited the set of HBO’s Game of Thrones, she turned down an opportunity most visitors jump at: a chance to sit in the Iron throne. And it wasn’t just a matter of keeping up proper appearances. A very old tradition actually prohibits the reigning English monarch from sitting on a foreign throne.
Though the modern monarchy’s position is symbolic rather than authoritative, others may have great power, and sitting on the throne could be seen as an act of aggression.
They can’t speak without permission
‘Never complain, never explain’ had always been the Queen’s way of doing things when it came to the multiple controversies and criticisms levelled at the royal family. Though over the years this has been broken in drastic ways. Namely Princess Diana’s and Prince Andrew’s interviews with the BBC. Meghan Markle also caused a storm when she and Harry sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview in which she revealed the royal family had “silenced” her.
Markle continued, “Everyone in my world was given very clear directive - from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating - to always say, ‘No comment.’ I would do anything they told me to do.”
Handshaking has a strict duration
Shaking hands, which is almost as old as civilised society, was originally a way of demonstrating to somebody that you weren’t holding a weapon (or weren’t planning on getting one out) on top of a basic display of respect. Today, it is always a matter of respect. And respect goes a long way when it comes to the interactions royals have with commoners.
All royals are expected to maintain eye contact throughout the duration of a handshake and only shake twice maximum. This is to avoid touching commoners for too long (who may be carrying an illness) and appearing to give more time to one person over another.
Staff were not allowed to reprimand the Queen’s corgis
Throughout the entirety of the Queen’s reign, she was synonymous with her dogs. Many and various are the images of Elizabeth II moseying around her palatial grounds with her beloved corgis. But they were hers to admonish and nobody else’s.
The staff at Buckingham and Kensington Palace were not allowed to order the dogs about in any way, regardless of their behaviour. The Queen’s dogs lived better lives than most of her subjects, and were even served gourmet meals daily.
Monarchs must wait a year to be coronated
When Queen Elizabeth passed away, King Charles III was immediately declared king. However, in the midst of a country in mourning and the planning of a funeral that will hold the gaze of the entire world, it’s easy to forget that King Charles has not yet had a coronation. Given that he is now the ruling monarch, it might seem strange that he has yet to be ceremonially recognised as such.
However, it is an accepted part of the process for time to pass in between the death of the former monarch and the coronation of the new. Specifically, it is considered good form for around 12 months to pass before the coronation, in order to give the country space to grieve and appreciate the legacy of the monarch that passed away.
The King must chat with his guests in order
Though every facet of a royal’s life includes rules that must be followed, dinner parties are uniquely fraught. Not only do the royal family have to watch how they sit, how they excuse themselves to the bathroom and how they place their knives and forks back onto the plate, but even the way in which they talk to their dinner guests is strictly controlled.
For King Charles, the rules are especially stringent, as they even dictate in what order he can speak to people. Royal etiquette says that the monarch must speak to the person to the right of them during the first portion of the evening, and can only focus their attention on the person to their left after the second course has been served.
Men and women have to greet the Monarch differently
Given that the codes of conduct for engaging with the royal family are centuries old, it makes sense that they are quite often still gendered, even in today’s world where we tend to strive for parity and equality. One of the main times that expectations differ based on gender is when greeting the King, as men and women are instructed to do so differently. Women are told to curtsey before
His Majesty, while men are told to bow. Handshakes are never to be initiated by those meeting the royals, although both Queen Elizabeth and King Charles have been known to offer handshakes to important guests. Usually, handshakes are deployed when the monarch is meeting an American, perhaps because curtseying or bowing doesn’t come naturally to them.
The reigning Monarch doesn’t vote
There are several things ordinary people do that the royals do too, just on a different scale. They attend school, get married, have funerals, travel the world, and participate in the minutia of life in much the same way. However, one major difference in how they live their lives is that you will never see them at a polling station.
Though it’s not explicitly prohibited by law, it has long been considered unconstitutional for the monarch to vote. As such, neither King Charles nor his immediate family will be putting a cross in a box at the next election, though for the family this is more a continuing of tradition than a hard and fast rule.
Heirs shouldn’t fly together
Most of the rules that the royal family follow still make sense today, but there are a few examples of guidelines which were created in another, vastly different time, and so seem archaic and out of date to us today. Maybe the most obvious example is the strict rules around flight, which dictate that royal heirs do not fly together on the same plane.
The slightly ghoulish logic behind this is that, should the plane go down, two heirs should not be lost at once. However, this rule was created during a time when flying was a much riskier venture than it is today, and so modern royals have begun to disregard it. Specifically, Prince William has been known to fly with Prince George, without prompting a full constitutional crisis.
The Queen used a handbag code to end conversations
As the absolute pinnacle and example of British politeness, Queen Elizabeth would never be so rude as to tell someone that she is bored of talking to them. However, that doesn’t mean that she didn’t have her own ways of signalling that she was ready to be done with a conversation. The key to finding out what she really thought, it turns out, was in her handbag.
For several years, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s way of signalling that she was ready to put an end to an engagement was to place her handbag on the table, and she would quietly show that she was ready to stop talking to somebody by switching her purse from her left arm to the right arm.
The Queen had to wear ultra-bright and colourful clothing
During her reign, Queen Elizabeth presided over the invention of both colour TV and live satellite broadcast, and she embraced both technologies wholeheartedly. Wishing to be more visible and less remote from her subjects, she made a point of being visually accessible, and the way she did this changed and evolved as she aged.
Though the Queen had always been small in stature, both she and her dressers had extensive conversations about the risk of her being lost in a crowd as she aged. As the Queen allegedly said, “you have to be seen to be beloved”, and so it was decided that she would opt for bright colours and jewel tones at public appearances, in order to make sure all eyes were on her.
Royal women must hold their chins in a certain position
If you’ve ever seen The Princess Diaries or any modernised adaptation of My Fair Lady, you’ll no doubt remember a scene where the main character has to correct their posture, either by placing a stack of books on their head or learning how to stand and wave gracefully without exhausting themselves. This trope has more basis in fact than you might think, as members of the royal family are coached extensively on their posture, from how to stand and sit to how to hold their chins.
Apparently, both a tilted up and tilted down chin are inappropriate for a royal, as the former implies haughtiness while the latter implies subservience. So instead, royals are taught to keep their chin level no matter what.
Proposals must be authorised by the Monarch
A royal wedding might exist on a totally different scale when compared to your average Joe and Jane tying the knot, but it does include some of the same features. There’s a white dress, an arrival to the venue in a whimsical vehicle, a kiss after the vows and bridesmaids arriving in tow. It’s also royal tradition for the one wishing to propose to seek permission before doing so.
This tradition is slightly different for the royals than it is for ordinary people, however. Though everyday folk would only think to ask the father of the bride for their blessing before the big day, the royal wishing to propose must ask their own family for permission, whether they are male or female. The ruling monarch has to be consulted before any official marriage announcement can be made.
Selfies are forbidden (with exceptions)
The image of the royals is strictly controlled and protected, so there are specific rules that must be followed when it comes to photographs. One of the main rules is that selfies are forbidden, due to the fact that they are difficult to control and can be unflattering, since they’re often taken quickly and up close.
Of course, norms, conventions and even rules can change over time, and it looks like certain members of the royal family have been moving away from this no-selfie policy. While Prince Harry has been quoted as saying “I hate selfies”, both Princess Meghan and Prince William have been seen to indulge in the odd bit of selfie-taking with fans, when it’s appropriate to the event of course.
Knees and thighs must be kept closed while sitting
For members of the royal family, there’s a lot to think about when it comes time to settling themselves in a chair. Perhaps the biggest faux pas to be avoided is sitting with one leg crossed over another, a dangerous game to play in a skirt. According to royal protocol, knees and thighs must always be kept firmly closed, which is why many royal women opt for the so-called Duchess Slant, a position popularised by Princess Diana, where the legs are bent towards the floor at a diagonal angle to make them appear longer. Princess Kate has been known to break this rule at times though, sitting cross-legged when dark tights allow her to feel comfortable doing so.
Garlic and other strong-smelling foods are banned
No one is denying that garlic is delicious. However, consuming lots of garlic before a first date or a big job interview isn’t something that most people would do, since nothing is more unappealing than meeting a person for the first time only to realise you can smell their dinner on their breath. Given how many new people the royal family meet daily, and how every public appearance they make is technically part of their job, it makes sense that the royals have eschewed garlic almost completely, along with onion and other strong-smelling food.
The Queen banned pasta from the dinner table
In an interview prior to her royal engagement, Meghan Markle revealed that her ideal meal consists of pasta and seafood. However, she must have been seriously disappointed to learn that pasta is explicitly forbidden from the royal dinner table. Whilst a big bowl of spag bol might seem like the ultimate comfort food, Queen Elizabeth was apparently less than enamoured with Italian food.
The Queen famously abstained from all forms of starch, including rice, pasta and potatoes. However, she did sometimes break away from her restrictive diet on special occasions, such as to enjoy delicacies specific to different countries and cultures while on official visits. After all, it would be rude not to partake, right?
The Monarch is obligated to meet the Prime Minister weekly
The royals don’t have as much power and influence as they used to when it comes to politics, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t play a very important ceremonial role. King Charles has lots of parliamentary responsibilities, from officially opening each new session of Parliament to granting Royal Assent to legislation.
It is also down to the reigning monarch to approve Orders and Proclamations through the Privy Council, which necessitates having more than a glancing understanding of law and politics. Most importantly though, King Charles is obligated to meet with the current Prime Minister often to stay abreast of important events.
Royals must wear appropriate cultural dress on official visits
Given how strict the royal rules are when it comes to seemingly trivial things like dress length, lapel width and hat etiquette, it makes sense that the royals would be discouraged from straying from suits and dresses. However, while there are expectations that govern how a royal should dress on British soil, there are different rules entirely for overseas visits.
When the royals are abroad in an official capacity, they are instructed to incorporate an element of that country’s cultural dress into their outfit, whether that be a Pakistani sherwani or a Balinese selendang. This effort is known as “diplomatic dressing”, and is meant to show the royals as enthusiastic about and engaged in the culture they are witnessing.
The Monarch must remain impartial
Though many rules are shared between the reigning monarch and the surrounding royals, there are some ways in which the established codes of behaviour differ based on whether you sit on the throne or not. While it is somewhat expected for the royal family to take an interest in charitable causes and societal issues, the king or queen is expected to be far more impartial.
As a prince, Charles gained a reputation for being somewhat outspoken, having never hid his true feelings or level of passion when it came to issues like climate change and the importance of classic architecture. However, now that he is king, it is likely that he will step back from campaigning in order to be less ‘divisive’.
Autographs are completely off the table
While the long-standing no-selfie rule has started to become less important in recent years, owing to the normalisation and proliferation of social media, the same cannot be said for the no-autograph rule. As much as many royal enthusiasts would love to add the signature of a royal to their autograph books, there’s simply no budging when it comes to this historical directive.
The reason for the ban on autographs is simple: there are many disastrous outcomes that could stem from the signature of a royal being forged, especially the ruling monarch’s. Though they have very little power to actually implement policy, a monarch’s signature still holds massive ceremonial weight, and so pains are taken to stop it from being copied or spread around.
The Queen had veto power on royal wedding dresses
Though there are many powers and responsibilities that transferred straight from Queen Elizabeth to King Charles, there are some that pundits doubt he will take on. Chief among them is the input on wedding dresses that Queen Elizabeth had, during both the weddings of Kate Middleton and Prince William and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
Queen Elizabeth was apparently very hands-on and helped to pick out the dresses of both Kate and Meghan, even having the final say over what they could wear down the aisle. It seems unlikely that King Charles will have the same level of enthusiasm when it comes time to pick out Princess Charlotte’s wedding dress – but who knows?
Prince Phillip had to walk behind the Queen
One of the most enduring images of the royal family was Prince Philip walking behind Queen Elizabeth. For over 70 years, wherever she went, the Duke of Edinburgh was just a few steps behind. This may seem like a pleasant coincidence but it was actually highly practical. The Orders of Precedence decide this. When the royal family is part of a procession, they enter and are seated in the order of precedence - which is more or less the same as the line of succession to the throne. It was Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Kate. Now, of course, everyone has been bumped up one.
Royals cannot run for office
It should come as no surprise that someone who is an actual king or queen does not have the ability to vote or indeed run for office. “By convention, The Queen does not vote or stand for election,” the Buckingham Palace website read at the time, “however Her Majesty does have important ceremonial and formal roles in relation to the government of the U.K.”
The Queen’s breakfast was the same every day
According to those who knew and worked for her, the Queen ate to live. She wasn’t exactly a foodie, not least with breakfast that was as simple as you can get. Despite having an arsenal of world-class chefs at her disposal, the Queen’s tastes were far more simple. Staff revealed that she would routinely choose from a variety of regular breakfast cereals, said to have been laid out in the dining room in plastic containers. Her favourites were alleged to have been Corn Flakes and Special K.
Bright nail polish is not allowed
Royal women are not permitted to wear bright nail polish, favouring instead darker colours if nothing at all. This was confirmed by Daena Borrowman, Marketing Manager at JewelleryBox. “Only nude shades, sheer whites and light pinks are allowed,” she said. “A firm favourite of the Queen’s is Essie’s ‘Ballet Slippers’. In fact for their weddings, both the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex famously combined two nude nail colours.”
Napkins must be folded in half after eating
As you know already know, dinner etiquette is more important within royal circles than perhaps anywhere on planet earth. From everything to what to say when being excused, to how you leave your utensils on the plate, get one wrong and don’t expect an invite back to the palaces anytime soon. Another specific rule is that diners should wipe food or drink off with a napkin that is then folded over so the person’s clothes don’t get dirty and the stains are not visible to fellow diners.
Curtsies are heavily encouraged
While you won’t exactly be tapped on the shoulder, guided away from the crowd and quietly imprisoned for not curtseying the monarch, you will stick out like a sore thumb. Even it’s not a legal matter, the done thing when greeting a king or queen or even a prince or princess, is to at least nod or bow your body.
“There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family,” the Royal Family website reads. “But many people wish to observe the traditional forms. For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.”
Royal Wedding bouquets will contain myrtle
This custom goes back to Princess Victoria’s wedding day. Royal brides have since carried at least one sprig of myrtle in their clutches, as it symbolises hope and love. The Princess of Wales added it to her bouquet in 2011. Meghan’s bouquet had similar, along with scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine, astrantia and flowers hand-picked by Harry from their private garden at Kensington Palace.
Bridal parties are made up of children
Like all weddings, a royal wedding is nothing without some bridesmaids and page boys. Traditionally, young girls are responsible for carrying the bride’s train while her ladies-in-waiting take the burden when it comes to dressing them. Meghan Markle slightly mixed things up by having her best friend Jessica Mulroney’s two young sons to carry the train.
Nicknames are forbidden
Royals expect to be addressed by their full birth names than any nicknames given to them by their family or, God forbid, the press. After marrying Prince William, Kate Middleton has been referred to as Catherine, Princess of Wales. The main, rebellious exception to this rule was Harry, whose birth name is His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Windsor. But then again, Harry was never one to go along with the stuffy protocols of royalty. He actually ended up quitting the role altogether in 2021.
Clutch bags aren’t just a fashion item
As mentioned above, the Queen was famous for using her handbag to subtly signal when she was tired of a certain conversation. By moving her bag from one hand to the other, she could quickly and politely put an end to any exchange she was ready to move on from. But it doesn’t end there. A glance at the photos of most public royal engagements will show that the royal women at large will often carry a clutch bag for similar reasons. Holding a clutch, especially with both hands, will make it easier for their to not shake the hands of commoners.
There’s a proper way to drink tea
Tea is a prolific and serious business in the United Kingdom, so it makes sense that the royal family should set a protocol when it comes to how you drink it. Especially when you consider how afternoon teas they are expected to take part in. Though you may not have noticed, tea cups are to be held by pinching the top of the handle with your thumb and index finger while placing your middle finger to support the bottom of the handle.
The position of the cup is also carefully considered. It should always be kept at a 3 o’clock angle. Female members of the royal family are advised to drink from the same spot to avoid leaving any sprawling lipstick smudges.
The Monarch must be the first to know of a royal birth
Given the fanfare and excessive coverage, it would seem as if whenever a baby is born into royalty, the public waiting outside the hospital are to hear or see of it. Obviously, this isn’t the case. Royal births, the exact moment of them and details, are a closely guarded secret. The monarch is the first to know, through an encrypted phone conversation.
This is a serious business you don’t want to mess around with. When a nurse was conned into revealing details surrounding the birth of Prince George by some shock jock radio hosts, the consequences were tragic.
Men must be clean shaven
It is customary for royal men to be clean-shaven for most of their public duties, bar the odd special occasion. The main exception to this, of course, is famous bearded ex-royal Prince Harry, who managed to even get married with a thick ginger smattering of facial hair. To skirt around this rule, the Duke of Sussex had to ask for permission from the Queen. It helped that he was also wearing his military uniform, which slightly distracted from the beard.
Certain language is off limits
In order for the royals to stand out from the rest, they cannot be seen uttering any of the slang of their subjects. As such, “toilet” is always called a “lavatory” (never “lav”) and interrupting a conversation will always require a “sorry” than the seemingly more refined “pardon”.
Couches are called “sofas” and are usually placed in “drawing rooms” or “sitting rooms” over “living rooms” or “lounges”. Also, someone’s perfume will always be called their “scent” to make the smell one with the person, as opposed to a mere accessory.