25+ Facts About the Life of the British Royal Family Behind Closed Doors

During the late-’60s, a documentary was commissioned by the royal family. It was made in 1969 to showcase the everyday lives of the Windsors and was released around the time King Charles became the Prince of Wales. Unfortunately, the film was ill-received and was pulled from the public due to the mixed reception from the population.

At the time, and since then, the general public has expressed concerns about the necessity and purpose of the royal family. Many acknowledged the power lying in other governing establishments rather than with the royal lineage.

Despite some of the public’s attention, the British royal family always carries themselves in a dignified manner. Whether entertaining world leaders visiting England or making the trip themselves to foreign countries, the Windsors conduct themselves gracefully at all times.

Before visiting a foreign land, each royal family member will speak with consultants and staff members about local customs and greetings. Upon arrival, each family member will have learned how to greet their hosts in the local language properly.

Traveling the world over can be a dream come true. The upper class made this ideal lifestyle famous as they could best afford a globetrotting lifestyle. With the wave of remote workers, traveling the world is more accessible.

Unfortunately, this glamorous life of traveling the world on a whim isn’t as realistic for the British royal family. Trips to far-off countries are less like vacations and more like business trips where they must focus on meetings and charity work.

Prince William has lived on the world’s stage and has appeared in countless newspapers and magazines. His courtship of Kate Middleton was followed by one of the biggest televised events as most of England, and much of the world, tuned in for the wedding.

The world has adored Kate Middleton and admired her and Prince William’s relationship. What made Kate more endearing to the public was that rather than rely on professional makeup artists, the now princess applied her own makeup.

Many of us remember gathering with the family, choosing a favorite board game, and playing Monopoly with friends and family. Not long after starting, tensions rise, someone nears bankruptcy, and the game board topples to the floor.

In 2008, the Leeds Building Society gifted Prince Andrew the well-known board game. The prince informed the organization that Monopoly was banned from the royal family because the games would become vicious. This advice is needed for more competitive families.

When traveling, many of us choose the most desirable destination, plan out the most relaxing and fun activities, and leave our concerns back home. The royal family doesn’t have this luxury; they must take emergencies and precautions as seriously as possible.

The British royal family considers several safeguards each time they leave the comfort of England for an international trip. Each member has a backup supply of blood in case any unforeseen circumstances may arise and medical attention is required.

One of the staples of royalty is the diamond-encrusted tiara that’s synonymous with beautiful princesses. Although each princess costume isn’t complete without a tiara, there are specific occasions on which they are worn, which each princess should abide by.

This jewel-ladened accessory is only worn on formal occasions such as weddings, dinner parties, and other special events. A tiara isn’t as widely used as many would imagine, but it’s a wonderful sight when a princess wears one.

Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed wearing knee-length skirts in an array of bright colors. As anyone can tell you, skirts have their ups and downs, as they can be tricky to deal with on especially windy days. With the right gust of wind, your dignity may be compromised.

The Queen prepared for this eventuality ahead of time by having her wardrobe weighed down to prevent any mishaps from taking place. Even in unfavorable conditions, her skirts and dresses didn’t falter under the strength of any unforeseen gusts or gales.

The British royal family must prepare several necessities before they embark on any trip. Much like the extra blood supply in case of emergencies, each royal also hopes they would have no use for the black outfit they’re required to bring.

In the event of a funeral, the family is expected to wear black in mourning while in England. When Elizabeth II returned from Kenya after the passing of King George VI in 1952, the would-be Queen waited in her plane for staff to collect a black outfit.

Most cultures practice gift-giving and opening them on Christmas day. Alternatively, several cultures open gifts the day before. The British royal family practices this tradition as they celebrate the holiday together, exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve rather than the following day.

The Windsor family has since adopted this practice to honor their German heritage. King George VI, who was Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather, was first cousins with Kaiser Wilhelm II, who ruled as German emperor.

The dignity and grace of royals are important aspects of their lives. They must conduct themselves at the highest levels in the public eye. They’re required to master etiquette, be moderately tempered, and remain composed at all times.

While traveling to foreign countries, it was reported that staff for Queen Elizabeth II would ensure the matriarch of the family would have two of each of her clothing options on hand. This measure guaranteed that the Queen would always have a backup outfit.

When the princes were young boys, Princess Diana would occasionally cancel an upcoming meal to treat her two sons to fast food indulgence. The royal family’s chef reported that the princess would decide to take the princes to McDonald’s.

On other occasions, the princess took Prince William and Prince Harry out for pizza and other fast food delights. Admittedly, the chef offered to prepare the same meal. Diana turned down the offer as an afternoon cheat meal was far more satisfying.

Queen Elizabeth II was known for having several rules and guidelines regarding acceptable food and had unique preferences for how the meal was prepared. But it’s also known that she would indulge in an occasional snack.

The Queen was particularly fond of chocolate, specifically dark chocolate. Of course, it’s difficult to find someone that isn’t susceptible to the rich flavors of chocolate, which makes the imagery of the queen sneaking a few bites all the more endearing.

In past generations, the patriarchs of the family would typically be away while staff and doctors tended to the births of the royal wives. Giving birth was typically reserved as a female-only event. When King Charles was born, Prince Philip was away playing squash at the palace.

In recent years, Prince William and Prince Harry, the two young royals, have been seen putting an end to this practice as they’ve been present during the births of their children. This sudden defiance was so shocking that Prince William made front-page news.

Meghan Markle, also known as the Duchess of Sussex, is formerly an American actress whom Prince Harry began courting and eventually married. During the wedding, the Duchess was seen wearing a wonderful tiara that brought the entire outfit and her look together.

This tiara originally belonged to Queen Mary and was loaned to Markle by Queen Elizabeth II for her wedding day. The bandeau tiara is a stunning masterpiece that sat atop the new Duchess of Sussex’s head and turned quite a few heads.

It’s difficult to imagine having a large residence where you can’t hear when dinner has been prepared and it’s time to eat. We’re used to a parent calling for us or having them pop in to remind us it’s dinner time.

There’s a set time for dinner in Buckingham Palace, as calling out through the echoing rooms would be difficult. Even so, Her Majesty the Queen would arrive late, which prompted staff to lie about the dinner time by 15 minutes to the Queen.

On family vacations, we’re accustomed to grabbing luggage, boarding an airplane, and flying off to a destination packed side by side with our family. This practice would be frowned upon by the British royal family, who typically travel separately, even to the same location.

This practice may seem shocking initially, but it serves a purpose. The royal family takes this precaution as it prevents a break in the lineage to the throne. If multiple members travel together, that may jeopardize the succession in the event of an accident.

Princess Diana always wanted the best for her two sons and worked hard to ensure they also experienced as normal childhood as possible. This concept was one of the reasons she indulged them with fast food.

The princess also defied protocol when Prince William turned three years old. Rather than having him begin instruction in the confines of the palace, Princess Diana sent her son to a nursery where he could learn and interact with regular children.

Queen Elizabeth II was well known for wearing brightly colored clothing and having matching purses and wide-brimmed hats. These bright clothes were a staple of her fashion, but when it came to nail polish, she had different ideas altogether.

The late Queen had a hard stance on wearing natural colors for nail polish. Even though royal protocol didn’t dictate nail polish color, it was a preference that royals should opt for light colors as they were deemed the most appropriate.

Since the British royal family regularly travels, it makes the most sense for them to have devised a protocol for the luggage tags. Of course, this assists the royal staff more than the family, but it still plays an important part in their travels.

The British royal family has designated colors of luggage tags for each family member. The Queen Mother had yellow tags, Princes William and Harry have red tags, Princess Anne has green tags, and Prince George has blue tags.

We all have a particular way of preparing and eating the food we enjoy most. The same goes for the foods we prefer not to eat at all. There are things we like and things we don’t like. Her Majesty didn’t care much for starches.

This stipulation doesn’t mean she avoided starches at all costs, but she refused to eat any starchy foods when she would enjoy afternoon tea or meals on her own. Queen Elizabeth II especially refused pasta and potatoes.

Many entries on this list help endear the British royal family and work as good examples of how modest and everyday the Windsors are. This entry might be difficult to identify as it shows the staff required for a royal’s international travel.

On international trips, the former Queen of England would have 34 staff members making up her entourage. Included in her entourage were security, assistants, and hair stylists, to name a few. This practice shows us how detailed and important the role of a royal is.

Another example of the grace and decorum required to live a royal lifestyle is the unspoken body language that helps send clear signals to the attentive staff. The late Queen developed such signals with the help of the small purse she always carried.

One signal she used was to switch the purse from one hand to the other, which is subtle enough not to catch the attention of a conversation partner. This signal alerted staff that she needed assistance in leaving a conversation that had grown tiresome.

Many royal protocols pertain to women in the British royal family, but several apply to men. These protocols aren’t as stringent but still require the adherence of the young boy in the family.

Boys under eight aren’t permitted to wear long pants and must wear shorts instead. This rule is considered a minor way to separate different life stages as the boy begins to shed his childhood and focus on becoming a man.

Royalty is synonymous with living a lavish lifestyle and enjoying the finer things in life. In actuality, it’s a role that places each family member as a role model for the rest of the country and sometimes for the world.

It may seem surprising that the Windsors fly using commercial planes, usually in economy class. It’s hard to believe you might sit beside royalty on your next flight, but it’s true. The royal family sets an example for their countrymen by flying affordably.

The royal family can indulge themselves with a chef ready to prepare nearly any meal upon their request. Even though they might have access to incredible foods and a fantastic chef, things are different while they’re traveling.

When the royals are out of the country, one strict protocol is that they are not allowed to consume seafood. Since seafood has a greater risk of giving food poisoning, the Windsors abstain from eating it while visiting foreign countries.

Here’s another innocent example of the Queen’s food preferences during her reign. Queen Elizabeth II preferred that the crusts be removed and discarded from her tuna sandwiches which is a reasonable request as the crust changes the flavor and texture completely.

This information was reported by a former chef, Darren McGrady, who worked for the royal family as their personal chef for over ten years, from 1982 to 1993. McGrady noted several interesting requests the Queen Mother made over the years.

A trick the Queen employs when she travels to distant countries is bringing along a sugary snack that helps her adjust to the changing time zones and fights off jet lag. The royal staff would bring along barley sugar for Her Highness.

This treat is backed by science as a useful remedy. Since barley sugar is one way to use metabolic pathways to counteract the effects of jet lag, this remedy allows her to arrive more adjusted to the local time.

A less endearing aspect of the British royal family that increases the divide between them and the English commoner is their exorbitant travel expenses. The average common household can be expected to afford one or two trips each year.

For the royal family, who frequently travel throughout the year, the total annual travel expenses are typically in the millions. In 2017, the royal family’s annual travel budget came to a whopping $5.8 million, partially due to safety protocols.

If you’ve ever wondered why Queen Elizabeth II always wore brightly colored outfits from head to toe and merely assumed she wanted the attention, surprisingly enough, you’re partially correct. The legitimate reason is vastly more thoughtful than that, though.

Her Highness had a ton of adoring citizens who truly valued any opportunity to glimpse her, let alone be in her presence. The Queen did her best to stand out in a crowd to provide that once-in-a-lifetime experience.

It’s difficult to imagine the late Queen Mother using anything other than the finest silverware and finest crafted dinnerware. As we all picture what life would be like living in Buckingham Palace, plastic and reusable containers don’t appear anywhere on our list of royal items.

It may come as a shock, but plastic containers were a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II, which makes sense when you consider that the British royal family has so many charitable causes. It would be wasteful and set a bad example.

As stated earlier, the royal family travels using commercial airline companies, such as RyanAir, British Airways, and American Airlines. What may come as a further shock is that they also wait in the immigration lines like the rest of us.

That means you may see one of the royal family on your flight and even stand next to them complaining about the long immigration lines. Of course, the likelihood of this happening is slim, but imagining a chance encounter with royalty is nice.

Here is another entry into the Queen’s interesting food choices during her reign. It was reported that Queen Elizabeth II also enjoyed eating Kellogg’s cereal alongside her beloved crustless tuna sandwiches, dark chocolate, and barley sugar.

In a bit of a twist, The Queen would prepare the cereal herself. She would indulge herself in a morning treat by adding the Kellogg’s to a plastic container. It’s not unheard of, but also not common, for a royal to serve themselves food.

An amusing note about how very British the British royal family is, pertains to another travel necessity. Along with a black outfit, Queen Elizabeth II would also bring along a special tea kettle to enjoy afternoon tea in foreign countries.

This kettle was anything ordinary as it was a monogrammed tea kettle that matched her luggage with the yellow tags. Moreover, she carried her supply of Earl Grey tea to always have a bit of England anywhere she went.

Christmas is a huge event for the British royal family. During Her Majesty’s 70-year rule as Queen of England, she made annual addresses to the commonwealth for a Christmas greeting and well wishes. She would prepare a televised speech broadcast throughout the monarchy.

Likewise, she would find herself filling out Christmas cards for nearly 800 individuals. Those considered close to the Queen, such as family members, received a signature using her nickname Lilibet. In contrast, politicians would receive “Elizabeth R.” which stood for Elizabeth Regina, meaning “Queen Elizabeth.”

The British royal family members continually conduct themselves in a way that best embodies the upper-class conceptions of grace and poise. They spend much of their lives on refinement, so royalty has a list of words they consider off-limits.

The royal family prefers to use the word “smart” rather than its counterpart, “posh.” They prefer using “helping size” rather than calling it a “portion.” And the royals will refrain from saying “(afternoon) tea” as they prefer “dinner” or “supper.”

One unfortunate aspect of being royalty is that they live much of their lives under the direction of others and for their people. As mentioned earlier, the royal family has many charitable causes, and they must be models for citizens of the monarchy.

Unfortunately, this selflessness requires a rigorous schedule where each day is carefully planned and requires constant monitoring by staff and assistants. This perpetual micromanaging can take a toll on anyone, but they must shine even on the darkest days.

At first, you may be startled by how expensive the Queen’s gloves are, but this will subside once everything is explained. Queen Elizabeth II’s pure white gloves cost a whopping $140. Again, wait until the end before fainting.

Even though the late Queen’s gloves are so expensive, what’s most impressive is that she owned that pair of gloves for over 40 years. Over the years, she had them cleaned and repaired, but we can’t imagine keeping something in such perfect condition.

Much of the protocols place the reigning King or Queen above the rest of the royal family. It should come as no shock that even a dinner revolves around the monarch. Whether starting a meal, ending one, or anything in between, this is the case.

Queen Elizabeth II treated dinner as a formal event during her reign as monarch and required the family to dress appropriately. Furthermore, the Queen dictated when a meal began and would signal when the meal was complete.

This entry brings warmth to our hearts as it’s yet another example of the British royal family being everyday people. Of course, this entry may have something to do with Princess Diana’s influence on the family.

When King Charles and Princess Diana couldn’t finish their meals, they would ask the staff to save the leftovers. Upon their next meal, the couple would have the leftovers on the side of their main meal. This shows the importance of not wasting food.

Similar to having certain protocols for tiaras, hats fall under the same category. As accessories, they must follow a different set of closely monitored rules from everyday clothes, such as dresses, skirts, and shoes, which have their list of dos and don’ts.

Like tiaras, hats are generally worn during formal occasions. There are many instances where you could see the Queen and princesses wearing beautifully decorated hats. Typically, hats are worn more frequently than tiaras, especially at dinners and weddings.

Out of all the jobs and responsibilities that are required to maintain the palace as well as the British royal family themselves, there’s one that receives the highest paid amount. This award goes to the Keeper of the Privy Purse.

This position boils down to being an accountant in charge of the family’s wealth. They manage the funds of the royal family, and the highest level of care must be maintained. They keep all finances in order, and this position garners an annual salary of $237,675.

As we revisit tiaras on our list, we must leave one last piece of useful information for all wide-eyed girls excited to don a princess costume. You may be unaware of a special protocol for wearing tiaras properly.

In decades gone by, the trend was to wear tiaras closer to the front of the head. The trend has recently altered, and tiaras are typically worn closer to the back. Furthermore, when wearing a tiara, it should be at a 45-degree angle.

This fact about food stipulations pertains to another no-no on the Queen’s list of foods she didn’t enjoy. Although these two items may be staples in most nations’ cuisine, Queen Elizabeth II despised them for legitimately good reasons.

As most of us know, onions and garlic leave pungent, looming smells on our breath. They can easily drive away most conversation partners. The Queen was aware of their effects on our bodies and breaths and banned them from her diet.

One of the many perks the royal family enjoys is having a personal chef ready to prepare a delicious meal for the hungry royals. With the many protocols they abide by, even arranging a meal isn’t as simple as one may think.

Rather than requesting a meal directly from the chef, the Queen would request her meals from a prepared menu. This is much like visiting a five-star restaurant. It was even said that Her Majesty would request meals three days before.