Interesting Facts You Never Knew About Living In The Royal Family


No Personal Social Media


Meghan Markle had to kiss her social media pages goodbye after her engagement to Prince Harry in November 2017. Her Twitter and Facebook accounts have actually been inactive for months. Members of the Royal Family are forbidden to run their own social media accounts.



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No Fan Selfies


The Queen is apparently not a fan of the selfie. After Meghan Markle made her first public appearance following the announcement of her royal engagement, the future Duchess of Sussex revealed that she can no longer take selfies with members of the public, much to the disappointment of her many fans.



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No More Autographs


The Royal Family members are also forbidden to sign autographs for the public. The rule supposedly prevents anyone from being able to forge one of the royal’s signatures. Prince William and Kate Middleton broke the rule by signing the U.S. Embassy book of condolences for the victims of the Orlando shootings in 2016.

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From Red to Nude


The Queen also has some rigid preferences when it comes to the beauty habits of the ladies of the royal family. The monarch hates dark and brightly colored nail varnishes, so Meghan and Kate are forced to stick with nude and blush nail colors.

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Closet Purge


The Queen of England absolutely despises wedge shoes. Any lovely lady who marries into the family is likely to do a closet rehaul, doing away with any footwear the Queen might not approve of. There are many, many style requirements set by the Queen, read on to find out more!

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A Full-Time Royal


When Kate Middleton married Prince William, the Duchess was forced to end her career almost immediately. Kate worked as a photographer, website designer, and marketing officer for her parents’ event planning company. Meghan Markle, who is a much loved frequent face on the series Suits, will have to do the same once those wedding bells start to chime.

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Royal Residence


No member of the Royal Family, whether their title is Prince, Princess, Duke, Duchess, Earl, or Countess, may reside in a regular house. As per royal protocol, all royal couples must reside in a residence that is formally approved by Queen Elizabeth.

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Limited Political Rights


Once Markle is wedded to the Prince, the American actress will become an official U.K. citizen, but her titile will exclude her from the political sphere of civic life. She will not be allowed to vote or publicly voice any political expression. Any member of the Royal Family cannot vote or run for any type of political office.

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Hilarious Christmas Gift


In a sweet albeit strange gesture, Meghan reportedly gave Queen Elizabeth a singing toy hamster. “Meghan bought a little hamster that sings with a little rope for Her Majesty,” an anonymous source told the Daily Star in January 2018. In case you weren’t aware, singing toy hamsters vary in price, although it’s unlikely Meghan paid much money for one. “She laughed and said, ‘They can keep my dogs company!’” said a source.

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PDA is Frowned Upon


The royal family are notoriously conservative when it comes to public displays of affection. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have frequently broken this unspoken rule. They are often photographed in public together while affectionately holding hands.

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Marrying Out of the Faith


Meghan Markle has not publicly associated herself with any particular religion or church, and therefore she will be baptized and confirmed before the wedding. The LA-born beauty’s father is a known member of the Anglican Episcopal Church of the United States while her mother is a member of the Protestant faith. The Royal Family is inextricably tied to the Church of England, so the future Duchess has to be confirmed before the marriage.

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The Duchess Slant


Women of the Royal Family are forbidden to sit with crossed legs. Instead, royal ladies keep the knees together and cross their ankles to one side. The move has been crowned “the Duchess slant.” The late and lovely Princess Diana is said to have come up with the seating position in order to avoid crossing her legs.

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No Nicknames at Buckingham Palace


Officially, no one is allowed to call any member of the Royal Family by his or her nickname because it’s considered too informal and disrespectful. Lady Diana and Kate Middleton controversially disobeyed this rule, allowing people to respectively refer to them as “Lady Di” and “Kate,” instead of their full names, Diana and Catherine.

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Hats Off; Tiaras On!


Surprisingly, there is more to those elaborate hats worn by female members of the Royal Family. An outfit to an official event is considered incomplete without a hat, but if the event takes place indoors after 18:00, the hats will be replaced by a jeweled tiara. The tiara rule only applies to married women, as a woman at a formal event without a tiara means that she is still available for marriage.

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A Royal Beauty Routine


A hairstylist is required to be available for the female members of Royal Family at all times. Royal women are to look manicured and presentable no matter the circumstance. The Duchess of Cambridge even got her hair done after she gave birth.

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Free of Fur


King Edward III officially banned anyone, including members of the Royal Family and men of the Church, from wearing fur in the 12th century. Yet it seems the long-standing rule has been forgotten by some of the royals, even Queen Elizabeth has been spotted donning real furs on several occasions.

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A Neon-Colored Dressed Queen


Queen Elizabeth II is well known for her brightly-colored and sometimes garish ensembles, usually donning a matching coat, dress, and hat. She prefers vivid and luminous colors, from neon yellow to royal blue. According to Countess Sophie of Wessex, it’s a strategic move to stand out from the crowds, so people will be able to say “I saw the Queen!” from afar.

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Two Heirs to the Throne Cannot Travel Together


Those in line to the throne are not permitted to fly on the same plane together even when they are headed to the same destination. Technically, the rule implies that Prince William cannot fly together with Kate and their children George, Charlotte and Louis. The rule is supposedly in place in case a tragedy may occur.

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No Shellfish


An old British rule declared shellfish off limits for members of the Royal Family in the hopes of avoiding potential food poisoning. The Queen has occasionally bent the rule as she did during former President Barack Obama’s visits to the U.K. A few former private chefs at Buckingham Palace have also revealed that they served lobster on several occasions. Who knew the Queen was such a picky eater?

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Dinner with the Queen


The most long-standing and prominent rule when dining at Buckingham Palace is that all dining guests must follow the pace of the Queen. No one is allowed to start eating until Her Majesty the Queen has lifted her fork to her mouth. The royals also never put down their silverware unless they need to take a sip of water or use the restroom, at which point they cross the cutlery on their plate signifying to the staff that they are not finished with their meal.

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Small Talk with the Royal Family


Whether one is invited for late afternoon high tea or an elaborate dinner party, meal topics of conversation are formulated according to particular rules. The Queen starts the conversation with the guests by turning to the person seated to her right during the serving of the first course. She then switches to the guest seated to her left during second course.

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Megs Needs To Learn How To Have High Tea at Buckingham Palace


The Royal Family are well known for their love of a scrumptious afternoon tea, and it seems so does the rest of Great Britain. Frequently served with an enticing variety of finger-foods, crustless cucumber sandwiches, small sweet pastries, scones with strawberry jam and cream, and of course, Earl Grey tea. Royal etiquette expert Myka Meier explains that there’s an art to holding a teacup at Buckingham Palace. We wonder if Meghan knows exactly what position her pinkie finger should be in?

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A Somber Wardrobe Requirement


Whenever members of the Royal Family travel, they are required to carry with them an all-black outfit. Sadly, this rule has some very morbid reasoning behind it. Every family member is expected to be prepared with a funeral-appropriate outfit should any sudden deaths occur. The rule has a personal history with the Queen. She was informed of her father King George VI’s death while she was on vacation in Kenya with Prince Philip. She was not adequately prepared and had no mourning outfit on her upon her return to England.

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Garlic Breath Prevention


Queen Elizabeth despises garlic to such an extent that it has actually been banned from the Buckingham Palace kitchen. Chef Carolyn Robb, the former full-time private chef at Kensington Palace, told OK! Magazine that the Royal Family doesn’t eat garlic because of the potential it has to cause bad breath. The Royals attend too many public engagements in close proximity with some of the world’s most high profile men and women.

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Tuppaware Only


What the Queen does love eating are fresh, juicy, seasonal strawberries while her favorite tea time treat is a chocolate biscuit cake. Her breakfast menu has been absolutely non-negotiable for decades. Each morning Her Majesty takes a cup of Breakfast tea and Cornflakes served in a plastic Tupperware containers for her and Prince Philip.

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Quite The Life For A Royal Corgi


Only the very best for the Queen – and her corgis! The Royal pets eat homemade gourmet meals prepared by the private in-house chef at Buckingham Palace. What’s more, the meals are hand-delivered to the lucky canines by one of the palace’s footmen. They are most often served fresh rabbit stew and finely chopped meat.

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Queen Elizabeth’s Secret Conversation Code


When The Queen concludes a conversation, she always needs to be the first to leave so as to avoid people turning their backs to her. But how do they know when she’s done talking? Well, they won’t know, but her staff certainly knows when she’s ready to call it a day and whisk her away in to her waiting vehicle.

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Touching a British Royal


There have long been strict rules when it comes to touching a royal. Officially, handshakes are the extent of the physical contact that royals should have with the public. There have been a few mishaps like when LeBron James placed him arm around the Duchess of Cambridge, when Queen Elizabeth hugged Michelle Obama, and when the former Prime Minister of Australia Paul Keating placed his arm around Queen Elizabeth.

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The Gift of Giving


The Royal Family is expected to graciously accept all gifts presented to them. All gifts received by the family belong to the crown, and therefore the Queen gets to declare what should be kept or done away with. The re-gifting or selling of any items are strictly forbidden.

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Little Fibs at Buckingham Palace


Darren McGrady, who worked as the private chef for the Royal Family from 1982 to 1993, revealed in an interview that the Royal staff were often forced to lie about dinnertime owing to Queen Elizabeth’s notorious habit for being late. Dinner at the Balmoral castle was at 20:30 when Her Majesty the Queen was in attendance, but the royal staff would tell her to arrive at 20:15 seeing as she would always be at least fifteen minutes late.

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Home Births


One might think that hospital rooms are the most popular place to give birth, but until Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William, all members of the royal family were born at Kensington Palace. That was where Queen Elizabeth was born and where she gave birth to all her children. Both Princess Diana and Kate Middleton gave birth to their children at the Lindo Wing of London’s St. Mary’s Hospital.