The British Royal Family seems to court fascination from people all over the world! After all, it’s one of the longest-serving royal dynasties – and through decades and centuries past, this family has endured some pretty big challenges – and societal changes.
Ancient royal history tends to be pretty grim and gory in places – but modern-day Royal Family facts are just as interesting! As a firm fan of the royals myself, I’ve pulled together some fantastic facts about the Royal Family that might just surprise you. Let’s get you clued in.
1. The royals always travel with companions.
It’s just basic protocol – and pure safety sense – for members of the Royal Family to never travel alone. King Charles, for all that he’s a pretty well-traveled gentleman – will usually have a staff of around 30 people to attend to him no matter where he goes.
His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, used to court the same kind of entourage. Members of this 30-strong team will typically include bodyguards, press representatives, and personal assistants.
2. The King celebrates two birthdays a year.
Much like Queen Elizabeth II and monarchs who paved the way before him, the King has two birthdays, one ‘official’, and one being his actual birthday. His real birthday falls on November 14th, while there is a full-scale celebration on June’s second Saturday. It’s here where most of the big celebrations take place.
The second birthday is reserved for the public. There are picnics in parks all around the nation, flags waved, and even a parade known as Trooping the Colour!
3. You’ll never get a royal signature in your autograph book.
There’s a rule in place which states that royals should never sign autographs. This isn’t because they are being rude. The rule is that they cannot do it for security reasons.
Imagine what could happen if the King’s signature was forged! And the same goes for the other Royal Family members!
So, while you are allowed to take photos, you’re not likely to get any of the Royal Family members to stop for an autograph. Therefore, if you see any royal signed items online, they’re likely to be scams.
4. The royals can’t play Monopoly… by law?
The British Royal Family is thought to be banned from playing the board game Monopoly – the reasons for this may vary!
While there is no official reason for them not to be able to play the game, it would seem as though it was for pretty normal reasons – Monopoly has something of a reputation for causing family disputes!
Interestingly, Queen Elizabeth II had an entire Monopoly set dedicated to her – and you can still buy the HM Queen Elizabeth II Monopoly Board Game online!
5. You’re not allowed to touch them.
Another rule the royals should ideally follow is that they are not allowed to touch, or be touched by, members of the public. Again, this is likely to be a security measure. The rule is flouted a fair amount, though often in cases where the people they touch are high-profile and are thoroughly vetted.
That being said, if a member of the Royal Family initiates contact, such as a handshake, for example, it would absolutely be rude to ignore them! But, don’t worry, if you ever get the chance to meet any of them, the chances are you will be fully briefed beforehand.
6. The King can travel across unlimited borders.
The King, unlike other British citizens, doesn’t need a passport. Passports are issued in his name, and therefore, he does not have to display one himself if he wants to travel abroad.
Other royals, however, need to possess their own passports for venturing to and from abroad.
In fact, even though Queen Camilla had a title similar to King Charles’ predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II, she still needs to use a passport when she travels.
This is because, while her title is that of Queen Consort, she is not the reigning monarch, and only they alone can travel without a passport.
7. You can’t reign through marriage.
While it’s possible to become King or Queen by marriage, it is impossible to become the reigning monarch by marrying into the British Royal Family. If the monarch’s spouse dies, the honour will then pass to the next of kin.
For example, when the current reigning monarch, King Charles III, passes away, it is not his wife Queen Camilla who will become the new reigning monarch. Instead, that role will pass to his firstborn, Prince William.
8. The Queen’s wardrobe was largely dictated by security.
Queen Elizabeth II was known for a great many things in her life, one of which was her keen sense of fashion. She was known for wearing often very bright and bold colours, and some fabulous hats. But did you know that there was a reason other than fashion for those items of clothing?
The Queen, reportedly, wore bright colours in public so that she was easy to spot. This helped security to never lose sight of her, which was key, especially when there were many people around.
9. Royal staff help with all kinds of things.
There are staff who help the royals with menial tasks to a fairly bizarre point! It’s thought that, for example, there are people in the employ of the royals who squeeze toothpaste and iron shoelaces. The life of a royal really is a strange one!
10. Royals are always happy to receive presents and gifts.
Another interesting rule that royals must follow is that they cannot refuse gifts. However, it lies with the reigning monarch to decide what happens to them in the long run. Therefore, the King is probably in charge of a pretty busy royal eBay account!
However, there are, of course, plenty of scammers out there, both online and in person, trying to sell items they claim belonged to Royal Family members. So, unless you are absolutely sure of where the items came from, be very careful not to be scammed! Again, don’t fall for anything that’s allegedly signed by a member of the Royal Family.
11. Santa lets the royals skip the gift queue.
Santa Claus apparently makes a special exception for the British royals. That is, in the sense that the family tends to open their Christmas presents the day before everyone else! They often open their gifts on Christmas Eve, with the King traditionally giving his yearly speech to the nation the next day.
The speech is broadcast every year across multiple TV channels in order to reach as many people as possible. Generally speaking, the Christmas Day speech lasts for about ten minutes and airs in the afternoon, giving people plenty of time to open their presents and settle down with a cup of tea and a mince pie.
12. The Queen’s gloves were hardly opulent.
The Queen’s gloves were interesting all on their own. She wore them constantly in public, yet they were probably not as expensive or as opulent as you might imagine. In fact, a pair of gloves for the monarch is likely to cost a little over £100.
What’s more, she didn’t tend to buy new gloves – instead, she had them washed and repaired. That’s frugal thinking!
Her gloves were also there for a reason beyond style. Given that the Queen traveled a lot and definitely shook a lot of hands during her lifetime, her gloves helped to keep her safe and healthy.
However, King Charles rarely wears gloves, except when he’s gardening – something he loves to tend to, despite all the royal staff!
13. The royals don’t tend to waste much.
The royals are known for being reasonably frugal. It’s not unheard of for royals to reuse outfits on several special occasions rather than buy one or two outfits and never wear them again.
What’s more, it’s thought that Charles and Diana were very keen to reduce food wastage during their marriage. It’s thought that they often saved leftovers to ensure nothing went to waste.
14. Royals need more than the monarch’s assent to marry.
Believe it or not, any royals hoping to get married will need more than a blessing from the King. They need to obtain a licence! That is, if they are under the age of 25 and are in line to the throne within the first six people.
15. They are not completely British.
Although they are known as the “British Royal Family,” believe it or not, the family isn’t fully British!
The King’s side of the family was originally of German descent. And, thanks to the former Duke of Edinburgh, the late Prince Philip’s ancestry, the Royal Family also has Greek and Danish blood.
On the other side of the pond, Prince Harry, who married Meghan Markle, has had children who now also have African-American ancestry. So, as British as the Royal Family is by definition, their lineage is from all over the world!
16. They do not wield as much power as you might think.
Although we all learned about Royal Families holding complete power back in the day, the British Royal Family does not have the kind of ruling powers you’d expect in the modern age.
That said, don’t get me wrong, they are still very powerful!
However, most of the political power in the nation lies with the parliament. That is why the UK’s government is known as a parliamentary monarchy. The Prime Minister is the head of the country, though they still need to ask the monarch for permission to form and dissolve governments.
17. The King owns all the swans!
This one’s a bit of an urban legend that’s been around for a while… or is it? Believe it or not, for a very long time now, all swans across England and Wales have belonged to the reigning monarch. That is why they are known as the King’s swans!
Although you will spot them all over the country, in public areas such as parks, rivers, etc., they do still belong to the King. In fact, it is a criminal offence to injure or kill a swan in the UK!
18. Queen Camilla plays an important role.
As mentioned above, King Charles III’s wife, Queen Camilla, is not simply a queen. She is a queen consort. A consort is the husband or wife of the current reigning monarch. This means that while she shares King Charles’ social rank and status, she does not have any constitutional power.
However, she still has an important role to play – mainly, in giving moral support to the King! Camilla regularly travels with King Charles (though she needs to make sure she has her passport handy!).
19. Kate Middleton is the most popular royal.
Although there are quite a few popular members of the Royal Family, as of 2024, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has proven to be the current most popular Royal Family member in the UK according to public opinion.
Known for her charitable work and devotion to her family, it really isn’t a surprise that so many people adore her!
20. Prince Louis is currently the youngest member of the Royal Family.
Speaking of Kate Middleton, Prince Louis of Wales is her third child with William, the Prince of Wales, and he is currently the youngest Royal Family member.
Louis wouldn’t hold this accolade if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were still a technical part of the monarchy, because their children, Archie and Lillibet, are younger.
21. Prince Harry still has his title.
In a headline-grabbing turn of events, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle left their duties in the Royal Family to pursue life over in the USA.
While they still choose to be referred to as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, they are no longer referred to as his or Her Royal Highness. In leaving his duties in the Royal Family, Harry also chose to leave his military titles.
Their children, as mentioned, are no longer part of the ascension to the throne.
22. The Queen had social media
Believe it or not, Queen Elizabeth II did, in fact, have and use social media! She had Twitter and Instagram accounts, although neither was very active.
Today, King Charles does not use social media. However, other Royal Family members still do. They use it to promote their current projects, share insights into their lives, and create connections with people from all over the nation and, indeed, the world.
23. The Queen was a big dog person.
Many people around the world know that Queen Elizabeth II loved her dogs. In fact, whenever she went out, she was often accompanied by her beloved corgis.
But did you know that Her Majesty actually owned 30 corgis throughout her lifetime? When she passed away, her beloved dogs were passed to other family members to hopefully be loved just as much as she loved them!
24. King Charles also loves dogs.
Following in his mother’s footsteps, King Charles III also has a true love for dogs! He has owned many dogs throughout his life, including terriers, greyhounds, and even a few spaniels.
Currently, he and Queen Camilla own two dogs called Beth and Bluebell, who are both Jack Russell Terriers.
25. You can invite the King to your wedding!
A somewhat odd tradition some couples have adopted over the years is to invite the reigning monarch to their wedding. However, you cannot and should not expect the monarch to attend the nuptials – pretty reasonably so, honestly!
That being said, they have been known to have responses sent on their behalf to excuse their absence and wish the happy couple well. It could definitely be a good keepsake for any Royal Family fan for their wedding day!
26. There is a Royal Variety Show every year.
Every year, a famous Royal Variety Show is held for the Royal Family and certain fortunate ticket holders! The show includes entertainment from all kinds of performers including comedians, singers, dancers, and puppeteers.
Traditionally, the reigning monarch attends the show with some of their family members, with those hosting the show effectively playing to a royal audience. It’s a real honour and a privilege!
FAQs about The Royal Family
What is the Queen’s full name??
The Queen’s full official name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, but she has various titles!
What is the Queen’s favourite food?
The Queen is said to be a big fan of fish - fitting for British royalty and their takeaway specialities, then!
Did Kate Middleton change her name?
Yes - Kate Middleton actually formalised her name to ‘Catherine’ when she married the Duke of Cambridge.
Further reading
https://www.royal.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvgLV2Ixb8KCemj-UtXZ-g
Do you know any fun facts about the royal family? Share them in the comments below!