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The Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations mean that the royal family will be in the spotlight even more than usual. Most of the family (and most of London) celebrates the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II on the throne on the first weekend of June, with a number of public appearances, parades and concerts.
Running a country for seven tireless decades is obviously impressive enough, but Her Majesty’s long tenure becomes even more remarkable as you begin to delve into the traditions of being British King. And by tradition we really mean rules – many, many rules.
It turns out that being a member of the royal family (queen or other) is not as easy and carefree as it seems in the movies. Read about 25 of the strangest rules that royalty follow – your non-royal life can start to look pretty good compared.
Everyone weighs themselves before and after Christmas dinner
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The royal family has many holiday traditions, although some are a little less charming than others.
One of the strangest traditions requires that each member of the royal family be weighed both before and after Christmas dinner – if they gain weight, it means that they really had fun at the table.
He is not a fan
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According to a 2018 Grazia Daily article, the strange ritual dates back to King Edward VII (Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandfather), who “wanted to ensure that his guests ate well”.
The tradition is depicted in a scene from the 2021 film “Spencer”, in which Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) expresses her disgust at the whole failure.
Is the game on? No!
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This is perhaps the dumbest (and least strict) rule on the list, but the queen has reportedly banned royalty from playing the Monopoly board game.
The reason? The game makes the family a little too competitive.
“Too vicious”
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In 2008, Prince Andrew received the board of Monopoly after attending a meeting with the Leeds Building Society, a financial institution in England.
The Duke of York reportedly rejected the gift, saying “we are not allowed to play Monopoly at home” before explaining that when the family tried to play the game, “it became too vicious”.
Royal members are not allowed to vote
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Royal figures are expected to remain politically neutral at all times. This includes abstentions.
Although their vote is not strictly illegal, the UK Parliament’s website says it is “considered unconstitutional for the monarch to vote in elections”.
Careful neutrality
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The palace often has to deny reports that Queen Elizabeth has publicly expressed political views.
For example, during the Brexit referendum in 2016, The Sun published an article claiming that the Queen had expressed anti-EU views at dinner. The palace flatly denied the accusation and the tabloid was ordered to print the withdrawal.
The written approval of the Queen is required before marriage
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Seeking permission from a family member before proposing a proposal is quite common, but royalty takes it to a whole new level.
According to the Crown Inheritance Act of 2013, the first six people in line for the crown cannot marry without the consent of the ruling monarch. Failure to do so will immediately disqualify them (and their descendants) from the opportunity to ascend the throne.
Seal for approval
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In April 2011, Queen Elizabeth agreed to marry Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The official notice of approval (known as the “Instrument of Consent”) was written in calligraphy, sealed with a red wax seal and covered with custom-made works of art representing the groom and the bride-to-be.
Black should only be worn at funerals
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This rule is a little less formal, but definitely strange: according to tradition, royalty wear black only during funerals.
“It is generally believed that black is not usually worn except in mourning, although Princess Diana of Wales sometimes wore it for evening functions,” Alexandra Meservi, founder of The English Manner (a well-known London-based graduation school) told InStyle .
Big no-no?
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In fact, Princess Diana caused quite a stir when she wore a black taffeta dress to a fundraising concert in 1981 – her first royal engagement since getting engaged to Prince Charles.
Diana spoke about the incident while being interviewed for her biography in 1991, claiming that Charles saw her in a dress and exclaimed, “Only people in mourning wear black!”
But they have to pack black clothes every time they travel
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Although they are discouraged from wearing black in public, according to the protocol, members of the royal family must pack black clothes when they go on holiday.
This ensures that they have something suitable to wear in case they have to attend a funeral at the last minute or appear in mourning if someone returns home.
Get ready, stay ready
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This rule is believed to have originated from Queen Elizabeth’s personal experience when she heard the news that her father, King George IV, had died while on holiday in Africa.
She had no mourning clothes with her, but she knew her plane would be overcrowded with photographers when she arrived back in the UK, so she had to send an assistant to bring her the right clothes before she landed. (All of this should sound familiar to you if you’ve watched Season 1 of The Crown.)
Naked tights should be worn to formal events
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It has long been rumored that wearing barewear is a royal requirement at public appearances, but this is only partially true.
There is no official written decree on tights, although a royal fashion journalist told E! Online that “they are usually the rule for more formal or conservative royal events.”
Embrace the code?
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Megan Markle entered the headlines in 2018 when she appeared at her first official event with the British monarch, wearing – you guessed it – flesh-colored tights under a dark dress and a cream coat.
Until now, Markle wore a lot of pants, so her fashion choice, focused on knitwear, led people to speculate that she finally adopted the unofficial dress code of British royalty.
Women should also wear hats to formal events
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It has been a long-standing royal tradition for women in the royal family to always wear hats to formal events.
“Until the 1950s, ladies were very rarely seen without a hat, as it was not considered ‘something’ for ladies to show their hair in public,” Diana Mater, a senior lecturer at The English Manner, told the BBC. “But all that has changed and the hats are now reserved for more formal occasions.”
Captivating charmers
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But the official certainly does not mean boring. Hats worn by royal ladies over the years have become more of an art to wear than traditional hats.
The pink pretzel that Princess Beatrice wore to William and Kate’s wedding in 2011 is proof enough.
Tiaras should be worn after 6 p.m.
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Another unspoken rule dictates that tiaras should be worn to formal indoor events in the evening.
“The old rule is that hats are never worn indoors after 6 pm, because then the ladies change into evening dresses and the tiaras and family jewelry come out,” Mater told the BBC.
Unless…
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The only exception: the bride can wear a tiara on her wedding day, regardless of the time.
In fact, many royalty wear their first tiara when …
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