11 Weirdest Royal Family Rules
From strange eating restrictions to odd dressing traditions.
Today we commoners choose to follow or turn a blind eye to the family traditions passed on to us, but the latter is not an option for Royals. They have to adhere to some weird rules many of which are rooted in history.
From specific eating habits to dressing, some dark customs have been practiced for ages. Let’s see the list of such peculiarities.
1. The Royal Family is not allowed to play Monopoly
To the English monarchy, the entire concept of monopoly does not sit well, and interestingly, it was after Victorian times that Monopoly was forbidden. Digesting such a rule is quite hard, and imagining it getting enforced sounds utterly weird.
Prince Andrew, the son of Queen Elizabeth II, was presented with a Monopoly game at some public event, and he refused to play as the Royals were not allowed. Andrew confessed that the game gets too vicious. Perhaps competing over the property and money hits too close to home!
2. Garlic has no place in Buckingham Palace
Owing to the Queen’s dislike for garlic, the veggie is not allowed in Buckingham Palace.
Two former Royal chefs substantiated the fact. One of them told Recipes that Royal chefs could never serve anything that contains garlic or too many onions.
Another chef told the National Post:
The Queen is a wonderful lady, the Royal Family are wonderful people but they’re missing out on garlic because at Buckingham Palace you don’t cook with garlic.
3. The royals say no to shellfish
Shellfish is not allowed on the Royal menu as it tends to have a higher risk of food poisoning. It is just a preventative measure as sudden food poisoning can cause embarrassment in any public event.
Apart from shellfish, there are few other items of consumption that the royals are wary of: including water from different countries and rare meat.
4. Specifically formulated dinner conversations
Society etiquette experts elaborate how the whole Royal Family goes by a particular formula for the conversation, where you speak to the person to your right for the first course of the meal and then to the person on the left for the second half. Why?
Well, because the person seated on the right of any royal family member is the guest of honor. From the Queen to each member of the Royal Family, everyone follows the same convention for the flow of conversation. Moreover, once the Queen has toasted, no one is allowed to speak.
5. Follow the Queen when dining
No matter how much one has filled their belly, if the Queen stops, you stop — those who enjoy the privilege of dining in with the Royal Family drill this as an essential rule in their memory, out of several other restrictions.
The royal guests need to keep track of the queen, and this tracking rule goes back to the era of Queen Victoria.
Most probably, Queen Victoria’s guests would never have quenched their hunger as she was a fast eater — who could relish a seven-course meal in half an hour. Had eating competitions existed back then, Queen Victoria would have wiped away all her competitors.
6. The Queen’s handbag is not just a bag
The Queen’s purse is multi-purpose, and its primary function is to signal the departure. Observers speculate that the Queen uses her bag as a secret code — if she puts her bag on the table, it signifies she wants to depart in the next five minutes.
Additionally, putting the bag on the floor means she had a dissatisfied conversation and needs to leave as quickly as possible.
7. Voting restrictions: Royals can but they won’t
The British monarchy is an epitome of symbolism — a symbolism that breeds expectations for each Royal Family member. There are no exceptions, each Roy Family member is expected to follow those informal rules.
One such expectation is to maintain a neutral stance when it comes to elections — the Royals do not pick sides or identify with any political issue, candidate, or party.
The UK Parliament website states:
Although not prohibited by law, it is considered unconstitutional for the Monarch to vote in an election.
8. Bye-Bye to hats after 6 PM
Tiaras and wild hats have prominently dotted Royal fashion throughout history, but behind such trends lies specific connotations and rules.
A Royal “married” woman needs to replace her fascinator-style hat with a tiara after 6 PM, as the Royal feels the need to bring family jewels out as a sign of status. Additionally, only married Royal women can wear a tiara as it further signifies the meaning of being taken.
9. The Royals have to pack a completely black attire
No matter where the Royals are traveling to, they have to pack an entirely black outfit — adopting a better safe than sorry attitude is what Royals prefer.
The gothic look is not what they aim for rather they prepare for an emergency mourning that incurs — such as a sudden death in family or the demise of an important figure during the trip.
10. Royal flower: The Myrtle
If Royals had to declare a royal plant, then, without doubt, it would have been the myrtle plant.
Myrtle holds a vital position in royal wedding bouquets as it was gifted to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert’s grandmother. The flowers from the myrtle plant were ordered from Germany at Queen Victoria’s wedding.
From that time, such bouquets were seen at the marriages of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle.
11. Lavish life of Queen’s Corgis
The Queen’s corgi dogs get treated better than royalty. Living the high life, the corgis enjoy what most people in the world cannot. The former Royal, Chef Darren McGrady, told Hello! about the corgis’ food menu:
When I worked at the palace, we actually had a royal menu for the dogs. It would be chosen and sent to us in the kitchen every month by Mrs. Fennick, who took care of all the dogs at Sandringham. It would list each day what the dogs were to have.
The corgis’ dishes included rabbit, meat, and lamb, which would get cut into small bites, ensuring no bones were left. The careful cutting of meat was to prevent chefs from incurring the Queen’s wrath if a dog would choke!
More from the author:
References:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g4817/odd-royal-family-rules/
