Photos : 30 times members of the Royal Family have broken protocol
The tradition at an official coronation is for female senior members of the family to wear a tiara. However, Kate Middleton decided to break the protocol by wearing a ‘casual’ topper.
Senior royal members of the Firm are advised against taking selfies with the general public. According to Harper's Bazaar, while selfies are not forbidden, they are heavily frowned upon in royal protocol. Kate Middleton, Prince William and even King Charles have been seen breaking this particular unspoken rule.
Ever since the Middle Ages, former Queens have always been surrounded by ‘ladies-in-waiting’, who accompanied them on official visits as well as in everyday life. Queen Camilla chose to break this centuries-old tradition and choose six of her closest friends as her ‘companions’.
Members of the Royal Family are forbidden to eat certain foods, such as some kinds of sea food, as it puts them at risk of parasites and food poisoning. However, then-Prince Charles decided to enjoy some oysters during an official visit to Kent in 2013.
Heirs to the throne are not supposed to travel together, to ensure the safety of at least one member of the Royal Family. Prince William has decided otherwise, as he is often seen travelling with his son, Prince George. Prince George might have to travel separately from his father from the moment he turns 12.
It is tradition for the father of the bride to walk her down the aisle. However, as Meghan Markle's father was not present at her wedding to Prince Harry, his father accompanied her.
In her Netflix show entitled Harry & Meghan, she explained: 'Harry's dad is very charming and I said to him, 'I've lost my dad in this.' So him as my father-in-law is very important to me. So I asked him to walk me down the aisle and he said yes’.
In the royal protocol, the bride-to-be had a ring designed specifically for them. However, Princess Diana chose to go her own way and choose her ring. She reportedly picked the sapphire ring as it went well with the blue of her eyes.
Prince William then used his mother's ring to propose to Kate Middleton in 2010.
Traditionally, members of the Royal Family have always served fruit cake at their wedding ceremony. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke protocol by choosing a sponge cake with elderflower syrup.
Men were never allowed in the room while their wives gave birth. However, Prince Philip chose to be there to support his wife, Princess Elizabeth, as she gave birth to their youngest child, Prince Edward. Prince Philip became the first male member of the family to be in the room during childbirth.
During an official event in 2017, Princess Eugenie wore an all-black outfit. This was a first, as it is frowned upon in the royal protocol. Wearing an all-black outfit is usually reserved for mourning.
Kate Middleton has often broken dress protocol over the years. The Queen usually encouraged female members of the Royal Family to wear dresses or skirts right above the knee or lower. However, Kate Middleton is often seen wearing shorter dresses and skirts.
Traditionally, one could only join the Royal Family for Christmas if they were married. The Queen actually broke protocol by inviting Meghan Markle to spend Christmas with them at Sandringham in 2017, before she married Prince Harry. Kate Middleton was only allowed to join in 2011, once she married Prince William, although they had been dating for ten years.
Queen Elizabeth II rarely attended her friends' funerals, as it was a logistical nightmare. Instead, she usually sent a representative on her behalf. However, when Annette Wilkin passed away, the Queen attended her funeral in person. Annette had worked for the Royal Family since 1974 and was extremely close with the Queen, who even gave her a corgi.
According to royal protocol, it was not customary for the bride to give a speech at her own wedding. However, Meghan Markle did just that, saying Prince Harry was ‘the one’ and thanking the family for ‘welcoming her in’.
Royal protocol usually forbids anyone from taking candid pictures inside any of the Royal homes. However, the Queen reportedly allowed Kate Middleton to take pictures while on holiday at Balmoral Castle back in 2009.
Members of the Royal Family are famously forbidden to speak out on any political or social issues. During the #MeToo movement back in 2016, Meghan Markle opened up about the subject in an interview, supporting women finally breaking their silence.
The Royal protocol generally advises against wearing dark colours, whether as clothes or on your nails. At the 2018 British Fashion Awards, Meghan Markle went against this rule and wore dark nail polish.
In 1991, Princess Diana and other parents participated in a school race organized at the Wetherby School. She ran barefoot. Members of the Royal family almost never take their shoes off, except in certain circumstances like when visiting a mosque.
According to the royal protocol, boys under the age of 8 are supposed to wear nothing but shorts. However, at Prince Harry's wedding in 2018, Prince George was seen wearing long trousers.
Following in Kate Middleton's footsteps, Princess Eugenie also broke the dress length protocol by wearing a shorter outfit for Prince Harry's wedding in 2018.
Just like taking selfies with the public, royals were advised against signing autograph, according to the protocol, as ill-intentioned people could forge their signatures. However, the Queen broke the protocol by accepting to sign a football.
Members of the Firm are virtually forbidden from going out to crowded places on their own. However, Princess Diana one went out to a gay bar in London, along with Queen singer Freddie Mercury. Witnesses claim she used a disguise at first, consisting of sunglasses, an army jacket and a cap.
Members of the Royal Family have got an extremely tight schedule. Because of security arrangements and photographs being taken, it is of the utmost importance that they arrive on time, and the monarch always arrives last.
However, Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived late at the 2018 Easter Service.The only exception was made for Winston Churchill's funeral, when the Queen allowed his family to arrive after her.
According to official protocol, royal wedding guests are chosen mostly because of their connections and rank. However, when the Queen was presented with a list of influential people to invite to Prince William's wedding, she allegedly said ‘tear up the list, invite his friends, and start from there’.
Royal children almost always go to an elite school, or are taught by private tutors. However, Princess Diana made the decision to send her children to a ‘normal’ school. Therefore, Prince William became the first heir to the throne not to begin his education at home.
No member of the Royal family had ever married a divorced person before. When King Edward VIII wanted to marry his girlfriend, who had been married before, he ended up abdicating as it was forbidden. However, both King Charles and Prince Harry ended up marrying women who were previously divorced.
Speaking of marrying a divorced person, King Edward VIII fell in love with Wallace Simpson, who had been married before. However, it was forbidden to marry a divorcee at the time, so he chose to abdicate and his brother became King in his stead. The couple got married and finished their lives together.
It is traditional for royal couples to do a photoshoot when they get out of the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington when a royal baby is born. However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose to keep the birth of Prince Archie private and introduced him to the world a few days later.
In 1994, Prince Charles admited he had been unfaithful during his marriage to Princess Diana. In the upcoming days, she wore her famous ‘revenge dress’ which broke several protocol rules. This outfit became one of the world's most iconic dresses.
Royal protocol states that it is forbidden to touch the Queen. In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama was not aware of this rule when she put her arm around the Queen, but Queen Elizabeth seemed to react positively and smiled widely.
