We already know that celebrities are nothing like the rest of us, but when it comes to the royals, they really live an entirely different existence. We're rounding up all the ways the royal family differs from the rest of us — celebrities and commoners alike. Keep reading to find out how these aristocrats are nothing like us…
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An official dress code for a toddler? Yup. Prince George doesn't just wear those adorable shorts for fun — they convey his place as a member of the aristocracy. Trousers on young boys are, you see, a no-no for the upper class, especially royals, according to English etiquette experts.
Be careful what you eat! Royals are advised to not consume the following foods in public: shellfish, rare steak and tap water in foreign countries. Something else they're told to avoid? Spicy foods!
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It takes most people forever to gather followers on Instagram. But in April 2019 when Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan launched their own account, @sussexroyal, on the social media platform, it took them less than a day to hit an epic milestone: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex racked up 1 million followers in just five hours and 45 minutes, setting a new Guinness World Record.
It's good to be the queen's corgis! Her beloved dogs dine on individually designed gourmet meals created by an in-house chef. They also happen to be served on silver platters by a footman. Must be nice!
You might have received a prank call from your friends growing up, but if you're Prince Harry, you get prank calls from supermodels and famous actresses! In March 2018, Oscar nominee Margot Robbie fessed up to prank calling Harry with model-actress pal Cara Delevingne. "Cara knows Harry and while we were filming 'Suicide Squad,' she was like, 'Let's prank call him.' I said, 'We can't prank call royalty,' but anyway we did — and he was so cool with it," the actress told the Sun. "Prince Harry is so nice. England literally has the coolest royalty in the world." And that member of the royal family also gets the coolest prank calls!
Us regular folk can enjoy eating truffles if we can afford them, but this royal actually harvests them! Prince Philip became the first person to successfully harvest a sizable quantity of truffles on British soil, according to Britain's The Times. The outlet reported the fancy news in December 2018, sharing that Philip successfully grew "black diamonds" — also known as French Perigord noir truffles, the most prized truffle species — at Queen Elizabeth II's Sandringham estate. He started back in 2006 by planting 300 oak saplings impregnated with truffle spores. They could be quite the side hustle now as these particular truffles run between $175 and $225 per 3.5 ounces, People magazine reported.
Though some current royal rules seem bizarre, they used to be even stranger! Before the birth of Prince Charles (seen here at age 3), an official witness or Britain's home secretary had to be present — in the same room — during a royal birth. Talk about awkward!
After the tradition of a witness in the delivery room was nixed, Princess Diana helped end another royal tradition. Before the births of Prince William and Prince Harry, every royal had been born at home. Diana changed that by being the first to give birth at a hospital. She selected St. Mary's in London, the same hospital where Duchess Kate has welcomed all of her children with Prince William.
Sorry, fans of the royal family — you're never going to get that autograph! One major rule for royals is that they're not allowed to sign autographs or take selfies with subjects.
Double dating when you're a royal means the other couple could be a supermodel and her mogul husband! Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank made headlines when they dined with Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber at Marylebone restaurant at London's Chiltern Firehouse in December 2018. It seems the couples could have been mixing business with pleasure, as Jack works for Casamigos, Rande's tequila brand that he shares with another well-known face — George Clooney.
We take family vacations for granted. But when you're a royal, there are even rules about who can travel with whom — for instance, heirs to the throne aren't usually allowed to travel together. It's been reported that once Prince George turns 12, he won't be allowed to fly with his dad, Prince William.
And while we're on the topic of travel… If you're a royal, there's something morbid that must always be in your suitcase: an all-black ensemble. The royals must have one on hand in the event that a family member dies while they're out of the country so that they can don the mourning ensemble upon their return to Britain.
Queen Elizabeth II isn't like your average nonagenarian! Nope, just a few weeks before she turned 93 in 2019, she was showing off her equestrian skills while spotted on a horseback ride on her Windsor estate.
Before she was a royal, she was a celebrity — Duchess Meghan found fame on the TV drama series "Suits" before meeting Prince Harry. In December 2018, Vanity Fair reported that once her acting career started to flourish, Meghan "threw herself a party at her home unofficially billed as a 'Sayonara Zara' party and gave away the lower-priced clothes in her closet to her guests" in order to make room for the new designer duds her bigger paycheck would allow her to afford. No word on if she threw another party after Prince Harry proposed!
Most families get very excited when a new addition is about to be born — but when you're giving birth to the future king or queen of Britain, excitement reaches a whole new level! Ahead of the birth of Prince George in 2013, hoards of fans gathered and even slept outside the hospital where Duchess Kate was due to deliver.
If you're lucky enough to marry a royal, there's one flower you'll include in your bridal bouquet — myrtle. It's a tradition for the family that dates back to the time of Queen Victoria.
Christenings are always a very special day. For the royal family, one part of the celebration dates back to 1841. Royal babies have donned a special outfit known as the Honiton Lace Christening gown since the original was commissioned by Queen Victoria for the baptism of her first child, Princess Victoria. It was inspired by her own wedding dress and has since been worn by 62 royal infants. Prince Edward's daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, is the last royal baby who was baptised in the original gown (her christening took place in 2004). Now, every royal born is christened in a replica that was crafted by the queen's dressmaker, Angela Kelly, so that the original historical garment could be preserved.
A secret language — involving handbags?! If the queen is involved in an awkward conversation or wants to stop talking to someone, she might flash her staff a secret signal. When she moves her bag to her right arm, courtiers know to step in and help her wrap up a chat.
Royal family dinners with the queen are never casual, so no scarfing down pizza in sweatpants! Formalwear is always required for meals with the monarch.
Tea is a British institution, so it's only natural the royal family has rules for drinking the beverage. From the right way to hold the teacup (certain fingers in certain places) to the mandate to only sip from the same place to prevent too many lipstick smudges, who knew taking a sip of tea needed so much thought?!
Imagine a restaurant closing to the public just so you could grab some lunch! That's exactly what happened to Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan in July 2018. Vanity Fair reported that the royals made arrangements ahead of time to dine at Dublin's Delahunt and even pre-ordered their meals. They were joined by the British ambassador to Ireland and palace aides, though the happy couple opted to eat alone in the restaurant's "snug," an area "tucked away at the back of the restaurant close to the kitchen" for a more private feel.
We all know will.i.am has worked with Fergie in the Black Eyed Peas, but did you know he's also worked with Fergie aka the Duchess of York? Yep, being a royal means you have access to celebrities, so when Fergie wanted to reach out to will.i.am, all she had to do was call and invite him over for tea. It was then that she told him she wrote poetry, so Will came up with the brilliant idea to have her recite poetry over his music.
There's a reason you always see Queen Elizabeth II in vibrant outfits. She makes sure her clothes are brightly colored so that she can be easily spotted in a crowd.
Back in the 1300s, Edward III of England banned royals from wearing fur. But this rule, of course, has often been broken.
Duchess Meghan is quite the fashionista, and the clothes she wears have a massive impact! Fashion search platform Lyst.com discovered just how influential she is in the style world, revealing in late 2018 that the brands she wears "will see a 200 percent increase in search demand over the following week." They call it The Meghan Effect: "The Meghan Effect continues to grow worldwide," Lyst explained. "Her wedding day outfits caused huge spikes in search[es] for both Givenchy and Stella McCartney, while her daytime looks have also inspired millions of shoppers to try a 'boat neck' or 'tuxedo dress.'"
Another odd detail you might have never noticed about the royal family is that Prince Philip always walks behind his wife, Queen Elizabeth II. Two steps behind her, in fact, is the protocol, because she outranks him.
She might seemingly be in charge of the country, but there is one important duty Queen Elizabeth II doesn't take part in — voting! Though there's technically no law barring the monarch — who, along with her family, are supposed to remain politically neutral — from casting a ballot, Britain's Parliament still considers it unconstitutional for her to vote in an election.
What lady doesn't love flowers? Duchess Meghan was lucky enough to have a flower named after her in February 2019 — the Clematis Meghan. The gorgeous purple-pink bloom is set to debut at the May 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. But the Duchess of Sussex isn't the only royal who has a flower named after her! There's also a Clematis Prince Louis named after Prince William's youngest child, who was born in April 2018.
Hats are usually associated with a more casual look — but not for Britain's royal family! If you're a lady in attendance at a formal event in the royal circle, you'd better be wearing a hat! And there's one more stipulation if the event happens to occur at night…
If you're attending a royal event after 6 p.m. and it's indoors, ladies should change out their hats for tiaras — but only if they are married. Only married women are allowed to wear the iconic piece of jewelry, say royal watchers.
The only person allowed behind the wheel without a driver license in all of Britain? The queen! Even though licenses are issued in the monarch's name, Queen Elizabeth II herself never had to take a test to secure one. She's allowed to drive her Range Rover around without a license or even a number plate on her car. But don't worry, she got a good education behind the wheel. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service as an honorary second subaltern during World War II and trained as a driver and a mechanic. It was there that she also learned how to change a tire, rebuild engines and drive both trucks and ambulances! Despite her skills, in early 2019, the queen reportedly decided to stop driving on public roads.
Do you make headlines when you close your own car door? We didn't think so — but Duchess Meghan does! She shut her own car door — apparently breaking royal protocol — while attending her first official solo engagement as a royal, an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in September 2018. When "Door Gate" went down, it raised eyebrows and launched headlines around the world.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's first child was spoiled well before its birth. When the royals went on their Down Under tour in October 2018 during Meghan's first pregnancy, they returned with 74 stuffed animals, 13 pairs of booties, nine blankets and more — just from their fans in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. That's not counting the gifts from Meghan's baby showers. Fans also pledged gifts on behalf of the royal baby by donating to one of the couple's four favorite charities — meaning the royal baby was a philanthropist even before birth!
Where are your old family photos? Stuffed in a box up in the attic? Well, if you're a royal, your family snapshots receive a lot more fanfare. Photos of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip from the '40s and '50s are being sold at auction along with a few featuring young Prince Charles and Princess Anne. These informal snaps owned by famed author Daphne du Maurier are expected to sell for a pretty penny by Rowley's auction house in April 2019.