Royal Children and The Rules To Follow: How Is Growing Up For These Heirs To The Crown

royal family prince william kate middleton royal children royal children's lives

By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Sep 09, 08:15 am

Royal kids may be from the royal family and future heirs to the throne but that doesn't mean they have no rules to follow. The truth is, they have a longer list of rules to follow compared to normal children.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton are respectively the third, fourth, and fifth in line to the throne. Their parents, labeled as the "younger royals" are relaxing the quite strict upbringing and the rules to be maintained and followed by their children to allow for a more "normal" childhood. In fact, Prince William and Prince Harry have continued the "changes" that their late mother, Princess Diana, had brought and begun.

Among the changes that Princess Diana started and which have stayed for good are allowing hugs, encouraging warmth, and allowing children to have everyday and normal experiences like eating at fast food chains or going to amusement parks.

Yet even with those changes and even in modern times, some parenting traditions remain that the younger royal parents should make sure to follow.

30 Rules Royal Children Have To Follow

Good Housekeeping was able to gather the following dos and don'ts of royal parenting.

Royal children's birth must be announced in public. After their birth, a sign outside Buckingham Palace is displayed stating the gender of the new royal baby and the tie of delivery.
Royal children need to be baptized. As the Queen is the head of the church, all members of the royal family need to be anointed, with the ceremony overseen by the Archbishop of Canterbury and with the Holy Water from the Jordan River.
They must wear the "Honiton" christening gown, which has passed down the generation, being worn first by the first child of Queen Victoria.
Regardless of age, women of the royal family must curtsy to the Queen upon seeing her for the very first time on any given date.
They can't call the Queen "Grandma", not "My Royal Highness" either but just simply "Granny" or "Gan-Gan"
As soon as they are born, they immediately need to have a passport to be ready to travel internationally if need be.
They would still need to get a driver's license when they grow up and pass the exam because only the Queen is allowed to drive without one in the country.
They are mandated to attend royal engagements even if still at a young age, most especially the Trooping the Colour, which is the Queen's birthday extravaganza.
However, they cannot attend the Christmas church service until they reach a certain age.
And, once able to attend, they have their own room and table at Christmas lunch.
They can open Christmas presents on Christmas day, only on Christmas eve.
They are also mandated to join their parents on royal tours, regardless of age. Thus, the need for an immediate passport.
However, two heirs cannot travel together to preserve the line of succession, unless the Queen permits.
Royal children need to learn a second language, and should be fluent in it.
When in public, boys must wear shorts, as pants for young boys are used to be viewed as middle class, and girls must always be in dresses. Moreover, siblings must have matching outfits when in public engagements with their parents.
They are not allowed to wear black during daytime events. Black outfits are reserved for mourning. However, they should always have a black wardrobe ready anytime in case they need to attend a funeral.
Playing outside and with nature is very much encouraged.
But, they cannot play Monopoly as the board game has been banned in the Palace.
Royal children do not eat canned baby food. They are only allowed to eat homemade baby food.
Shellfish is off the table, even for adult family members as this is a common cause of food poising.
They must attend top schools, but it does not necessarily have to be their parent's alma mater.
They have to serve in the bridal entourage of royal weddings.
They have to listen to and respect their nannies.
They have to adhere to security measures and should have individual security details.
They can accept gifts but they cannot keep the gifts unless the Queen permits.
Posture is everything. Girls are required to do the "Duchess slant" when seated in formal events while boys should not stand with hands in their pockets.
The boys are expected to serve in the military.
No tiaras for girls until they get married.
They can't be called by their nicknames publicly. It is always by their complete names.
They are given different last names.

But this is the most important rule of all...

Thirty rules have been given, and yet one still remains, which is the most important of all.

Royal children are expected to behave very well in public. Royal parents and children are expected to follow a higher standard of manners and behavior than the average parents and kids. Thus, royal children must attend etiquette training early on - as soon as they are old enough to sit at a table, Myka Meier, an etiquette expert, revealed.

They are taught everything from having formal meals to attending formal events and practicing everything "from voice levels to dressing appropriately and how to curtsy and bow."

Royal children need to know the "Windsor wave" or the right way to wave publicly as soon as they can because this is a must during public appearances.

More than all these, parents must not allow tantrums from their royal children, Reader's Digest revealed.

Yet despite this great challenge, these royal parents have also a great advantage, which all parents would love to have - a team on standby to help and assist in case tantrums and meltdown occurs.

"They would have many royal aides and members of the royal family to assist and guide the children through the day. If there were any issues, they would have been seamlessly taken care of," Meier shared.

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