25 weird rules about being a British royal - CBS News
The queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations mean the royal family will be in the spotlight even more than usual. Most of the family (and most of London) is celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 70th year on the throne the first weekend in June, with a line-up of public appearances, parades and concerts.
Leading a country for seven tireless decades is obviously impressive enough, but Her Majesty's extensive tenure becomes even more remarkable once you start digging into the traditions associated with being a British royal. And by traditions, we really mean rules — lots and lots of rules.
Turns out, being any member of the royal family (queen or otherwise) is not as easy and carefree as it looks in the movies. Read on for 25 of the weirdest rules the royals follow — your non-royal life might start to look pretty good by comparison.
Everyone gets weighed before and after Christmas dinner
The royal family has a lot of holiday traditions, though some are a little less charming than others.
One of the most bizarre traditions requires each member of the royal family to get weighed both before and after Christmas dinner — if they gain weight, it signals that they truly enjoyed themselves at the table.
Not a fan
According to a 2018 Grazia Daily article, the bizarre ritual dates back to King Edward VII (Queen Elizabeth's great-grandfather) who "wanted to ensure his guests ate well."
The tradition was depicted in a scene from the 2021 film "Spencer," in which Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) expresses her distaste over the entire debacle.
Game on? No!
This is probably the silliest (and least strictly enforced) rule on the list, but the queen has reportedly banned the royals from playing the board game Monopoly.
The reason? The game makes the family a little too competitive.
"Too vicious"
In 2008, Prince Andrew was gifted a Monopoly board after attending a meeting with Leeds Building Society, a financial institution in England.
The Duke of York reportedly turned down the gift, saying "we are not allowed to play Monopoly at home," before clarifying that when the family tries to play the game, "it gets too vicious."
Royals are not allowed to vote
The royals are expected to remain politically neutral at all times. This includes refraining from voting in elections.
While their voting is not strictly illegal, the U.K. Parliament's website does say that "it is considered unconstitutional for the Monarch to vote in an election."
Careful neutrality
The palace often has to deny reports about Queen Elizabeth expressing political views in public.
For example, during the Brexit referendum of 2016, The Sun ran a story claiming that the queen expressed anti-EU views at a dinner. The palace vehemently denied the allegation, and the tabloid was ordered to print a retraction.
The queen's written approval is needed before getting married
Seeking a family member's permission before proposing is a rather common practice, but the royals take it to a whole new level.
According to the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013, the first six people in line for the crown cannot marry without the consent of the reigning monarch. Failure to do so would immediately disqualify them (and their descendants) from ever ascending to the throne.
Seal of approval
In April 2011, Queen Elizabeth gave her consent for Prince William and Kate Middleton to get married.
The official notice of approval (known as the "Instrument of Consent") was written in calligraphy, closed with a red wax seal, and covered in custom artwork that represented the groom and bride-to-be.
Black should be worn only at funerals
This rule is a little less official, but definitely quirky: According to tradition, royals only wear black during funerals.
"Generally it is thought that black is not usually worn unless in mourning, although Diana Princess of Wales did occasionally wear it for evening functions," Alexandra Messervy, founder of The English Manner (a famous London-based finishing school), told InStyle.
A big no-no?
Indeed, Princess Diana caused quite a stir when she wore a black taffeta dress to a fundraising concert in 1981 — her first royal engagement after getting betrothed to Prince Charles.
Diana spoke about the incident while being interviewed for her biography in 1991, claiming Charles saw her in the dress and exclaimed, "Only people in mourning wear black!"
But they must pack a black outfit every time they travel
Though they are discouraged from wearing black in public, it is protocol that the royals have to each pack a black outfit whenever they go on vacation.
This ensures they have something appropriate to wear in case they have to attend a last-minute funeral or appear in mourning if someone passes back at home.
Get ready, stay ready
This rule is thought to have arisen out of Queen Elizabeth's personal experience of hearing the news that her father, King George IV, died while she was vacationing in Africa.
She didn't have any mourning attire with her, but she knew that her plane would be swarmed by photographers when she arrived back in the U.K., so she had to send an aide to fetch an appropriate outfit for her before she disembarked. (This should all sound familiar if you've seen season 1 of "The Crown.")
Nude pantyhose should be worn to formal events
There have long been rumors floating around that wearing nude hosiery is a royal requirement when making public appearances, but this is only partially true.
There is no official written edict about pantyhose, though a royal fashion journalist told E! Online that "they are generally a rule for more formal or conservative royal events."
Embracing the code?
Meghan Markle made headlines in 2018 when she showed up to her first official event with the British monarch wearing — you guessed it — flesh-colored pantyhose underneath a navy dress and cream coat.
Markle had been sporting a lot of pantsuits up until this point, so her hosiery-centered fashion choice had people speculating that she was finally embracing the unofficial dress code of the British royals.
Women must also wear hats to formal events
It's a long-standing royal tradition that the women in the royal family always wear hats to formal events.
"Up until the 1950s, ladies were very seldom seen without a hat as it was not considered 'the thing' for ladies to show their hair in public," said Diana Mather, a senior tutor for The English Manner, to the BBC. "But all that has changed and hats are now reserved for more formal occasions."
Fascinating fascinators
But formal certainly doesn't mean boring. The hats donned by the royal ladies over the years have transformed more into wearable art than traditional headwear.
The pink pretzel-esque fascinator Princess Beatrice wore to William and Kate's wedding in 2011 is proof enough.
Tiaras are to be worn after 6 p.m.
Another unspoken rule dictates that tiaras must be worn at indoor formal events during the evening.
"The old rule is that hats are never worn indoors after 6 p.m., because that is when the ladies changed into evening dress, and tiaras and the family jewels would come out," Mather told the BBC.
Unless...
The one exception: A bride may wear a tiara on her wedding day regardless of the time.
In fact, many royals wear their first tiara when they get married — including Kate Middleton, who rocked a Cartier tiara when she walked down the aisle in 2011.
Royals don't sign autographs for fans
If you're hoping to snag an autograph from one of the royals, we have some bad news.
Royal protocol prohibits family members from offering their signature to fans, lest someone try to forge it.
Breaking a rule
In 2010, Prince Charles surprisingly broke protocol to sign an autograph for victims of the Cornwall floods.
According to The Telegraph, after a couple asked Charles for his autograph, he got a piece of paper from his bodyguard and signed it "Charles 2010."
Dark nail polish is generally frowned upon
Yet another unofficial dress code rule, it's rumored that the queen prefers royals only to wear clear, nude or very light pink nail polish.
Given how stylish the modern royal ladies are, it should come as no surprise that this rule gets broken rather frequently.
A tiny tizzy
Meghan Markle caused a tiny tizzy when she wore dark opaque nail polish at the British Fashion Awards in 2018. Kate Middleton has also painted her toes for red carpet appearances.
And Princess Diana, royal rule breaker that she was, frequently sported red nail polish in public — including the same day she wore her now-iconic black "revenge dress" in 1994.
Two direct heirs cannot fly in a plane together
According to royal protocol, two direct heirs to the throne must take separate flights while traveling — a failsafe in case something tragic happens en route.
That means that Prince Charles and Prince William cannot fly together, and Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth cannot fly together.
Flying solo
When Prince George turns 12, he will also have to start flying separately from his father.
The Cambridges have frequently flown ...
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