Kids under Rules: the Young of the Royal Family
Noblesse certainly oblige: if you happen to be born to a royal family you have to observe multiple rules and learn ways how to behave right from the cradle. It isn’t easy for the younger generation, but it’s just one of those things: you do it, and there’s nothing else to it. When they are in public, they must look like an impeccable royal family – all acting up strictly excluded. Up to barely perceptible behaviors.
All of them, from the very-very young, are supposed to make a decent appearance without a breath of misbehavior or slouching. Since every child is looked upon as a family representative who is already doing his or her duty and supporting the family image, they are subjected to the best care and schooling there can be. Also, they are expected to be able to speak several languages. In a nutshell, it’s a lot of hard work starting from their green years.
Still, after all, they are children who are prone to forget about their future social statuses time after time and act as their heart dictates. Well, they are proper and well-brought up kids almost all the way, so if they chance to deviate when they can be seen, the media try to catch them in flagrante delicto.
Well, let’s see for ourselves if the rules that bind them are lying heavy on their heads.
Slouching not allowed
Among the very first thing the royal children must master is maintaining the posture. Looking at them you can see they had it honed to perfection and further. There’s a fair chance you will never see a young royalty assuming a slouching posture.
Sitting is also paid much attention to. Boys are schooled to sit with their soles resting on the floor at the shoulder-width distance. Girls have rules for sitting too, and they must be able to curtsy gracefully. Naturally we all need that, to avoid those back pains, and hopefully the royals have less of them owing to their perfected postures, but it looks grand as well.
Monopoly is forbidden
This game is off-limits not only for the younger ones – for everybody. No member of the reigning family will be tolerated to play monopoly. As you may have guessed, it’s not laid down in so many words, but everyone knows they are not to. It is considered to be too emotional for people of high birth.
The game seems to affect the royals as well as common people so they can get excited over it and lose faces. Maybe they realize it and do not want to play themselves, but what if they would like to? Anyway, they can’t, and that’s that. Prince Andrew, for one, was known to say it was “vicious” upon being presented with a customized monopoly set. Of course, he accepted it with good grace, but what did he do with it afterwards?
Every gift must be accepted
This one also embraces all the members of the highest family. Of course, it begins with the children. Every gift – any gift – ought to be accepted with an outwards display of gratitude and a polite reply.
Once the gift has been accepted, it is owned by the crown. So it’s up to the Queen to pronounce upon its destiny. Supposedly most of the time she simply lets the receiver to keep his or her gift – but the fact is, there are gifts that require mindful handling. The royal family can be on the receiving end of some really quaint things, even wild animals (these go to the zoo).
Everyone finishes eating with the Queen
The Queen is unceasingly respected, and her daily routine is respected likewise – to the point that when the Queen has finished her meal, everybody else at the table does the same. They may not have finished, but they comply nevertheless.
When it’s a special occasion, the Queen would place her purse on the table unobtrusively. It is a sign that in about 5 minutes the dinner will be over. The children know that from their young days that it would be totally inacceptable if they continued eating after the Queen has done with her food. Surely they know what to do afterwards if they are still not satiated.
Carbs are ousted
It doesn’t mean that the royal youngsters never eat carbs – they can have everything they want when they are not at the same table with the Queen. It’s when they eat in the castle, they won’t find on the dinner table any food like pasta, rice, or potatoes. It seems there is no garlic either: the Queen is said to dislike its taste.
No dealings with money
No members of the royal family are allowed to use money for whatever reasons. Even simple handling is not looked upon well. Living in the modern world, some of them find themselves in a position where they have to break this rule, though. Still, they are not supposed to have any money on them.
Of course there are special personnel who handle money transactions and execute their orders and requests related to money. It is a safety measure – so they don’t run a chance of losing money or, even worse, being robbed of it. There are people who would make a name for themselves for attacking a royal. Their health is what is vigilantly guarded both by others and by themselves: they will never touch or handle anything that looks unsanitary.
No-no for casual clothes
The children of the reigning family are expected to be impeccably dressed – always. Probably they are assisted when dressing; anyway, when it is done, they must not tamper with their outfits and do their best to avoid staining or soiling their clothing.
Dressing casually is downright prohibited – no royal must be seen wearing, say, jeans (although there were instances when a royal was seen in jeans, on holidays and in places where it is common wear). When they step out, the boys must appear in shorts and the girls in dresses. Also, the royal boys habitually wear buckled leather shoes – a bit strange for the United States where this kind of footwear can look girly; yet they are rather fetching.
Absolutely no nicknames
Everyone is addressed or referred to properly; nicknames are not allowed, especially with other people present. Yes, words like “mom” and “dad” are considered acceptable, but all other forms of address – including any pet names and diminutives won’t be tolerated.
Nevertheless, you can’t get by without exceptions. Of course Prince Harry’s name is Henry, but somehow everybody got used to calling him Harry. Well, actually, there’s not that much of a difference, and people may believe it suits him down to the ground. But if we regard Princess Charlotte, no-one will ever hear her addressed by a shortened version of her name.
Learning languages is a must
Every child in the royal family must learn foreign languages – the more the better. They begin learning them from an early age. For instance, Princess Charlotte, at her three years of age, is already mastering a second language – how clever of her!
Certainly all the royals, traveling around the world and meeting so many people from different countries, need to know languages, and not only French. They say Princess Charlotte is starting on Spanish together with her brother, so before long she is going to be multilingual like her father. Probably she will get interested in Oriental languages as well.
Electroniс gadgets are excluded
The royal children’s entertainments include some television time and all kinds of toys, some of them are likely to be mechanical or singing ones. What they don’t have is iPads, tablets and other electronic gadgets. Their parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, are adamant over it. Such things are looked upon in the family as adult items.
Of course children will have to learn to handle gadgets some time, but there’s no telling when they will be allowed to possess them. And when they will, they won’t go creating their social media pages – which is probably a good thing for them.
They have to be careful what words they choose
Needless to say, all children should be polite, well-spoken and courteous, and the royal ones even more so, setting an example. What’s more, we all should be careful with the choice of words, and the royal kids even more so. In the royal family some words are not welcome for various reasons. Among them “toilet,” “perfume,” “pardon”: the toilet must be called the “loo,” instead of “perfume” they say “scent.” Funnily, teatime is never called “teatime,” but “dinner” or “supper.”
Another word frowned upon is “posh”. It seems the royals don’t like to think they may be described as “posh,” so they are a bit snobbish over this word. Such habits make them look refined, surely.
There are duties to perform
Most of the duties, though, are understandably not for children. For the time being the main duty of Prince George and Princess Charlotte is to take tea with the Queen on Thursdays. This must be a kind of a social-skills event where the children have to show how polite and well-behaved they are.
Yet it doesn’t mean that they are constantly schooled. Kate Middleton makes a point of giving her children the opportunity to stay children and be themselves, play and act freely. There will come the time when they will have to shoulder a load of responsibilities, but not quite soon; it suffices for them to learn to be gracious, turn up for their tea with the Queen and get on with languages.
They never take pre-packaged food
Of course it’s pointless to get pre-packaged food for children. There are chefs to see to their meals, and the royals are very mindful about their health. In 2013, the Queen’s ex chef Darren McGrady spoke about it on the TODAY Show, saying that he never prepared or served packaged food – especially to the royal kids. The queen has 20 personal chefs, so there has never been a question of any pre-packaged food.
McGrady called preparing a meal “a major operation” with one chef cooking meat, another one cutting vegetables and so on. Then all the ingredients are blended together. There is never any need of packages, cans and jars with so many chefs getting purees ready for the children.
Children and adults apart at the table
When there is a dinner at the castle, the children never mix with adults – not until they have grasped all the table manners and the art of maintaining conversation. And this is quite a lot! Basic knowledge embraces the rules of table behavior, how to place things on and around one’s plate, how to conduct proper conversation with one’s adult neighbors. The last includes choosing topics, the skills to avoid uncomfortable situations, keeping the ball rolling, as well as encouraging your neighbor to express their opinions on various subjects. As soon as they have mastered these abilities the children can move up and join their elders, showing their perfect royal attitude.
