17 Rules The Children Of The Royal Family Have To Follow
Even if much of the Royal Family's life is revealed by the media, there is still more to uncover. Most of this has to do with their personal lives and how they live in their homes. It's the things that we simply do not get to see. We mostly just see what they're doing or how they're acting in public.
Many of us have begun to wonder what goes on behind the closed doors of the Royal Family. Are they just like any average family when they aren't doing “royal” things? Do the kids have bedtimes? They certainly live quite differently than most of us. This leaves lots of room for questions.
The Royal children seem to be well-behaved, from what we have seen. Surely, that can't always be the case. We have only caught a small glimpse of their actual lives, too, so we can't judge how they act at any given moment. We have a feeling that there are a lot of rules in place for these Royal kids, which probably helps to keep them in check.
Luckily, we've compiled some of the rules that the children of the Royal Family have had to follow over the years. Some of these are traditional and have been passed down for generations. Other ones are fairly new but just as stringent.
17 All Gifts Have To Be Accepted
Just think of all of the presents that the Royal children receive. The number has to be insane. It is!
Prince George was the recipient of 800 gifts in a single year.
That's a lot of presents, especially for a young child. There's no doubt that Princess Charlotte is getting just as many gifts.
If those two children alone are receiving approximately 1,600 gifts each year, Prince William and Kate are bound to be overwhelmed. They probably don't want their kids to get anything else. Well, one of the rules is that the kids-and likely their parents, too-must accept all gifts that they receive.
As annoying as it may be to continue picking up after the little ones, there's nothing that the family can do about it. This rule is here to stay-and so are all of the presents!
16 The Young Children Have To Maintain Sophisticated Speech
We don't really give much thought to a young child's speech unless they're extremely behind or struggling. It's normal for little ones to stumble over some words or have a hard time learning how to pronounce certain letter sounds. This usually resolves with little to no interference.
Something else we probably haven't thought about is a child's word choices. They usually just pick up on the language that their family is speaking. For the Royal children, this isn't the case.
They are expected to speak in a sophisticated way from the start.
We shouldn't expect any potty language from these little ones like we would from any other kiddos. They have been taught how to speak properly at all times. There's no doubt that they keep this up at home, too.
15 Their Posture Has To Be Top Notch, No Matter How Young They Are
We have often seen members of the Royal Family walking elegantly. They are expected to appear to be in a certain position. They are supposed to look put-together and sophisticated. Well, this starts when the Royal children are very young.
We rarely see any members of the Royal Family hunched over. This is because they are taught the importance of posture when they are little.
This has got to be a challenge because young children might be forgetful. They will also want to bend over and pick up rocks or bugs.
Even little Prince George must keep his back straight and his chin upright. Whether he is sitting down or standing up, he has to follow the rules of perfect posture. He can't even put his hands in his pockets!
14 Body Language Is Key
We all know that body language is an important part of our everyday lives. It happens to vary by culture, too. This means that the Royals will have a much different set of body language standards than the rest of us do.
For one, the Royals know how to wave. This isn't an average wave, by any means. It's a wave that only royalty knows how to do. This must be taught from a young age so that the kids can continue using it whenever they are in public.
Another example is curtsying or bowing. When anyone in the Royal Family greets the Queen, they are expected to greet her appropriately.
Girls are instructed to curtsy, while boys are taught to bow. This applies to family members of all ages.
13 They Must Be Ready For A Wedding
As we can all tell-from all of the Royal wedding talks that's circulating in the media-weddings are a pretty big deal around here. They're basically a national event, so everything must be perfect. There are hundreds of guests. There are traditions to be followed. It must be overwhelming!
It's important for the Royal children to be prepared for weddings, too, though. The whole bridal party is supposed to be made up of little children.
The boys get to be pageboys, while the girls get to be bridesmaids.
Since this is the expectation, these kids must be ready to roll on the big day. They must be prepared to walk down the aisle and fulfill their royal duties. We definitely wouldn't want to see any protesting toddlers at a Royal wedding!
12 They Can't Go By Nicknames
Nicknames are just a part of most people's lives. They often stem from inside jokes between a couple of family members or a friend group. Other times, they are used to shorten a longer name like Samantha to Sam or Sammy. Most people don't see anything wrong with nicknames.
The Royal Family is not allowed to shorten their names or go by nicknames.
This may not be the case while they are inside their homes. It's definitely true when they are out and about. This is why Prince George is always called Prince George. Nobody calls him “George” or anything else. The same goes for Princess Charlotte.
One exception is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She is sometimes called “Kate,” because we knew her as Kate Middleton before she became the Duchess.
11 Packaged And Processed Food?-It's A No
Every family has certain guidelines for what they do or don't eat. These can be intentional diet choices. Other times, people simply get in the habit of eating a certain way. Some families might be vegetarian or they might eat a lot of fast food. It just depends.
The Royal Family is a little bit stricter about their food decisions. They cannot eat packaged or processed foods.
Even Princes William and Harry had their baby food made at home by the family's chef.
It's likely that they have carried on with this rule, as the Duchess of Cambridge has mentioned her struggle to get Prince George to eat his veggies.
Plus, their grandfather is keen on organic foods. He is probably a big part of why the family eats so healthily.
10 They All Have To Wear The Same Shoes
What a lot of us likely didn't notice is that there is a specific type of shoe that the kids in the Royal Family tend to wear. Sure, we probably caught Prince George's leather buckled shoes at some point. It might not have been so obvious that he only wears those shoes. The little girls and little boys both wear these shoes.
An English brand called Start-Rite is responsible for the creation of these shoes. In 1955, Start-Rite received a Royal Warrant. This warrant was basically saying that this company would be responsible for making these shoes for the family.
It's stuck since then! It's estimated that the company has produced 1,500 pairs of shoes since-and that's for the Royal Family alone!
Because the Royal Children rock these leather kicks, celebrity children around the world have begun wearing them as well.
9 Heirs Can't Travel Together
It's unclear as to whether or not the Royal children are aware of why this rule exists. Maybe the current ones are too young to understand or don't really notice.
The rule is that direct heirs cannot travel together by plane. This has been a rule for a long time, so it isn't really questioned anymore.
The rule is in place so that one heir will still be around if one would die in a plane accident. Someone needs to be around to rule, right?
This is a rather morbid explanation to give to a young child, so we're guessing the Royal children learn about it later on.
As most of us know, Prince William and Kate don't follow the royal rules exactly as they should. When Prince George was nine months old, he tagged along with his dad on a trip to Australia.
8 The Dress Code Must Be Followed
Just as there are specifications for the shoes that the Royal children can wear, there are dress code regulations as well. We would expect the Royal Family to dress nicely. That's why we often see Prince William in a suit and Kate in a nice dress.
There are rules for the kids, too, though. Prince George is required to wear shorts.
This is simply how his dress code works until it changes when he turns eight.Princess Charlotte is supposed to wear a dress with a cardigan.
Sometimes she will be seen in tights, too.
We aren't sure who enforces these restrictions, but we are pretty sure that we don't want to find out. It's probably better that they just play it safe! Hopefully things are a little bit easier at home than they are in public!
7 Monopoly Is A No-Go
This one might seem like a rather silly rule. Nonetheless, it's a royal rule, and it must not be questioned. We aren't sure how much enforcement there is for this one though.
The Royal Family is not allowed to play the board game Monopoly. Yes, the family is banned from playing a simple board game.
The main reason behind this is that the game is known to cause arguments between family members. They want to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
Because the Royal Family is always under the watch of the public eye, they are aware that most of their drama is widespread news. They want to prevent any extra news from being spread. Plus, they feel like it might be a little bit strange if a fight is publicized after stemming from a little bit of friendly competition.
6 They Have To Become Bilingual
Because the Royal Family lives in the United Kingdom, they speak English. This isn't all that is expected of them though. The children are also expected to learn another language. Why is this?
Well, the Royals are spending a lot of time traveling around the world. They meet with people of all cultures and languages. Even from a young age, the Royal Children are supposed to be able to communicate nearly fluently with new people all over.
It sounds like the children have already gotten a good start on this. It's said that both Prince George and Princess Charlotte have begun learning Spanish.
This is impressive for such little kids, but it is expected. Plus, they have a lot of languages to learn! It makes sense why they would get working so early.
5 Passports Are Mandatory
As mentioned previously, this family goes on plenty of trips all around the world. They are constantly traveling. Sometimes, they are expected to fly somewhere unexpectedly. This means that they must be prepared to head out. No scrambling around to collect all of their necessary belongings!
It may seem silly for this easily recognizable family to have to carry passports, but it's just a rule.
Because it's a rule of the airports that they journey through, it has become a rule for the family as well. Even young kids have to have a passport. At the age of nine weeks old, Prince George was doing some traveling with his parents. His passport cost them about $65.
It does make sense why they need these passports though since they are always on the go!
4 They Must Eat While The Queen Eats
This rule is well-known around the world. Most of us have heard it at one point, and maybe we haven't always believed it. Some probably assume that it has faded out at some point.
The rule that everyone must stop eating when the Queen stops is 100% true and is also 100% in effect to this day.
This rule is beginning to sound a little bit silly, but it seems like it's here to stay.
We can only imagine how poorly this would go over when it comes to getting little ones to finish their food. They probably don't have a chance to eat all of their dinners before the Queen decides she is done. We can only hope that she's understanding of picky young children not wanting to eat their meals. If not, hopefully, the kids learned quickly!
3 Presents Must Be Opened On Christmas Eve
In addition to the other Christmas traditions that the Royal Family follows, they have some more specific ones. Usually, kids who celebrate Christmas will open their gifts on Christmas Day.
This isn't the case for the Royal children though. Their gifts are to be opened on Christmas Eve at the Queen's Sandringham Estate. This begins with the gifts being displayed in the Red Drawing Room.
That's where the little ones-and everyone else in the family-are to open their presents. Then, the Royal Family goes to church on Christmas Day.
Since Kate joined the family, some things have changed. For one, she gives the kids their presents on Christmas Day. We aren't sure how the rest of the family feels about this though. There's a chance that this doesn't go over well.
2 The Kids Have Bodyguards With Them At All Times
As we can expect, there are a lot of potential dangers to the Royal children and the rest of the family. Everyone knows who they are, where they live and where they're going. The paparazzi are constantly following them and invading their personal space.
Well, there is something to be done about this. From early on, the Royal children have had bodyguards.
Right when Prince George made his way out of his safe home with mom and dad, he had two assigned bodyguards. Once his sister Princess Charlotte joined the mix, the security was increased.
Because of all of the caution that needs to be taken to protect the children, bodyguards are a must. Even if nobody would hurt the children, it's best that they are in place in case of an emergency.
1 Everyone Goes To Christmas
Most families have their own holiday traditions. Maybe they all meet at one person's house and everyone brings cookies and gifts. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the holiday season.
Naturally, the Royal Family has their own holiday traditions as well. The Royal Family celebrates Christmas.
As a part of this celebration, it is required that everyone attends. It's a pretty big event for the family, especially with all of the intense preparation that goes into it.
Christmas for the Royals is held at the Queen's Sandringham Estate, which is in Norfolk. She spends the week leading up to the holiday preparing for her guests. Everyone better be showing up if she puts that much work into it! Imagine how hurt she would be if anyone missed out.
