20+ Ambiguous Rules That All Royals Must Follow

Many will think that being a queen or a princess is a dream come true: luxurious outfits, palaces, banquets, and jewelry. However, there is another side to the coin: in addition to the undeniable benefits, members of the aristocracy face many restrictions, from certain diets to forbidden board games.

Here at CHEERY, we decided to find out what rules exist for members of the royal family, and honestly, some of them stumped us.

• Duchesses and princesses should avoid brightly colored nail polish. Neutral and natural shades are preferred. For example, Queen Elizabeth likes the soft pink shade ’Ballet Slippers’. However, sometimes members of the royal family break this rule. Kate Middleton, for example, has been spotted with a bright pedicure on more than one occasion.

• Members of the royal family are not permitted to play Monopoly at home. This was decided by the Queen on the grounds that the game could cause quarrels in the family because “it gets too vicious”.
• Bushy facial hair for the men in the royal family is not accepted by the Queen. Some publications have even reported that Elizabeth II is not thrilled with the “hipster” look of her grandson, Prince Harry. Allegedly, Her Majesty “extremely dislikes facial hair” and hopes her grandson will shave it off.

• When the Queen finishes her meal, everyone should follow her example and also put down their cutlery. Moreover, according to Queen Elizabeth’s former private secretary, it’s considered to be bad mannered to go to bed before her. He noted in his book that this rule was particularly hard for Princess Diana: she would get bored sitting in the living room making small talk with everyone, so she would excuse herself and go to bed, which was considered unacceptable behavior.
• According to proper etiquette, ladies should wear hats at public events, but only until 6 PM, after which they should wear a tiara. However, only married women may wear this accessory. Historically, it was a kind of signal for men—if a lady wore a tiara, it meant that she had a husband and it would be inappropriate to flirt with her. Traditionally, a girl would wear a tiara for the first time at her wedding.

• Members of the royal family are not allowed to take selfies with fans. This was confirmed by Meghan Markle in 2017 when she had to turn down a fan’s request for a photo. And in 2015, Prince Harry told a teenage girl that “selfies are bad” and asked her to “just take a regular photo”.
• That being said, they are not to refuse flowers or gifts, no matter how bizarre those gifts may be. Autographs, on the other hand, are strictly forbidden as a way of preventing forgeries.

• According to royal protocol, the queen should wear brightly colored outfits in public. It turns out that she chooses such eye-catching colors so that each and every person can easily spot her in the crowd. After all, she is the main reason people come to many official events, and it would be a shame if they couldn’t see her. As Queen Elizabeth herself puts it: “If I wore beige, nobody would know who I am”.

• As of 2019, the Queen and her family have refused to wear real fur in favor of faux fur. The ceremonial outfits that were already in Her Majesty’s wardrobe, in particular a few robes, however, are an exception.
• No wedge shoes should be worn in the presence of the Queen. This is a rather strange rule, as it’s not regulated by anything other than the fact that Queen Elizabeth simply doesn’t like wedges, and all her family members are well aware of this. And although the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, has been spotted several times wearing such sandals, she has never worn them in the presence of the Queen.

• Duchesses’ wedding dresses must be approved personally by the Queen. It is she who has the final say on the design, the shape, and the brand. For example, Kate Middleton showed her the chic Sarah Burton wedding dress for Alexander McQueen multiple times during the making and also weeks before the ceremony.
• The bride’s bouquet must include myrtle. It symbolizes love and the bonds of marriage, and every royal bride, including the Duchess of Cambridge, has consistently upheld this tradition. Incidentally, the myrtle comes from Queen Victoria’s 170-year-old garden, which is a beautiful family tradition.

• Women should not sit with their legs crossed. Instead, it is advisable to keep the knees close together with the ankles elegantly crossed. Women are instructed to keep their chin parallel to the floor while standing, and when descending stairs. Also, when going down the stairs, their arms must be resting at their sides.
• For women in the royal family, garments that expose cleavage are not allowed. However, sometimes even quite modest outfits can let you down, especially if you are bending over or getting out of the car. So to avoid embarrassment, a clever solution was invented—to cover the cleavage area with a clutch. Princess Diana used it particularly often. Before almost every event she would meet with a designer to help her find a suitable clutch. The princess herself called these accessories “cleavage bags”.

• In fact, clutches are not just for covering the cleavage area. Royal women also carry small handbags for a very different purpose. The fact is that by holding the clutch with both hands, an unwanted handshake can be avoided, providing the lady with a polite excuse.
• For centuries, the royal family has upheld the tradition that the father should not be present at the birth of his child. It was broken by Prince William when Kate Middleton asked him to be with her on the big day. The Duke ended up holding his wife’s hand during the birth of their first child, George. According to royal biographer Robert Lacey, “When Charles was born, Prince Philip was playing squash, and when William was born, Charles was busy playing a polo match”. Speaking about Prince George and his birth, Lacey said, “I think this is the first father at BCS who was personally present at the birth”.

• Royals are highly discouraged from eating crustaceans, oysters, mussels, and other shellfish when traveling in order to avoid poisoning or allergies. A former royal butler commented: “It is a very sensible move to abandon having seafood when out and about on public duties. We don’t want a member of the royal family having a serious reaction to food poisoning, especially if she is on an overseas tour”.
• Also, members of the royal family are never likely to say they would like dessert. Instead, they will ask for “pudding”.
• For security reasons, direct heirs to the throne are not to travel together by plane. However, there was an exception to this rule in 2014, when Prince Charles and Kate Middleton took little Prince George on a plane with them to go visit Australia and New Zealand. However, according to some publications, when George turns 12, he will no longer be allowed to fly with his father.

• You won’t find dishes with garlic or lots of onions on the royal menu. It’s logical to assume that this is done to avoid bad breath, but the main reason for this ban is rumored to be the Queen’s dislike of the ingredients.
• Her Majesty has another curious ban concerning food: no potatoes, rice, or pasta for dinner. According to a former royal chef, the family usually dines on something like “fried sea plaice with vegetables and salad”.
• Also, members of the royal family can’t just say “Cheers” when raising a glass. Every member of the family is expected to make a beautiful, relevant toast.

Which of these strict rules would be the hardest for you to abide by?