(Photo: Hannah McKay/File Photo/REUTERS)
The life of a royal seems filled with many privileges and perks but it's also bounded by a lot of protocols and rules. From the day they were born, British royal family children are taught to follow these rules and behave according to a tradition borne from many centuries.
For instance, British royal family children have to be baptized in the Church of England before they turn six months old. Family members are expected to attend the ceremony but this rule has been slightly relaxed to allow just a few members to witness the event.
The British royal family children also don't call Queen Elizabeth "grandma" instead the royal family grandchildren and great-grandchildren refer to the Queen as "granny" or "gan-gan." In the documentary Our Queen at 90, royal biographers said that "gan-gan" has been used in generations of the royal family to refer to their grandmother. In fact, the Queen Mother was also called "gan-gan" by Prince William and Prince Harry before her death in 2002. h
The female members of the royal family must curtsy to the Queen. Princess Charlotte, who is turning five in May, is already learning this protocol as shown last Christmas Day, when she copied her mother, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
While they are other royal engagements that they can skip, every member of the royal family, even those who are not working royals, have to be at events like the Trooping the Colour, weddings or holiday celebrations. The children are taught early on to behave at these family but public affairs and they do get etiquette training.
"They are raised having formal meals, going to formal events and practicing everything from voice levels to dressing appropriately to even, of course, how to curtsy and bow," expert Myke Meier said.
Observing proper posture is also very important for the royals. The women are expected to master the Duchess slant, while the men are not supposed to hide their hands inside their pants' pockets.
The royals receive many gifts from all over the world, especially if they've been to royal tours. However, as much as they are gracious at accepting gifts, they cannot keep most of the stuff. It's actually the Queen who decides what gifts they must keep.
Some royal protocols might be outdated for many royal followers and Queen Elizabeth, in her 68 years of reign, have changed and adjusted these over the decades. However, there are still actual traditions that the family continue to follow, which have been set by their forefathers and ancestors many years ago.
