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Tracey Furniss

Royal protocol is one of the things that truly distinguishes the British royal family from other celebrities – no matter whether you’re Queen Elizabeth or a young Prince George, there will always be strict rules and restrictions that govern your every move – especially in public. Let’s take a look at some of them.
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Travel bubbles

There is a long-standing protocol that two heirs to the British throne cannot travel together. This is to preserve the line of succession in case of an accident. The rule dates back to when air travel was not as safe as it is today. The queen has relaxed the rule since Prince William has had children, which is why the Cambridges have travelled together on several royal tours, such as to Canada in 2016, and Germany and Poland in 2017. However, it was recently reported that will all change when Prince George, William’s oldest son and third in line to the throne, turns 12, and his father will not be able to travel with him again.
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Keep steady eye contact

When shaking hands with the general public, royals are expected to maintain strong eye contact. “A royal handshake should consist of two-to-three pumps, with your palms open and thumbs down,” according to former British butler and etiquette expert Grant Harrold. The handshakes must not appear to give preferential treatment to one person over another.
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Chin up!

There are even etiquette rules relating to walking down stairs and simply standing still. Royal women should always have their chins parallel to the ground when walking downstairs or standing, and their hands must also be at their sides.
Stand up, sit down

When the queen stands, so does everyone in her presence. And don’t even think about sitting down before she does.
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Don’t touch the bag

According to Capricia Marshall, author of Protocol, Queen Elizabeth’s handbag is not just for looks; she actually uses it to send secret messages to her staff, and under no circumstance are you allowed to touch her bag. “If it’s on one part of her arm, it means the meeting is going fine, leave me alone,” explains Marshall. “But if she lowers it, it means, ‘End this now. I want to go.’”
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Who’s wearing the trousers?

Royal observers may have noticed Prince George wearing trousers at Wembley when on regal display with his parents Prince William and Kate Middleton for the Euro 2020 finals. So what’s the big deal?
Royal boys wear shorts until age eight, after which time they are allowed to wear trousers. Prince George recently turned eight – however, Prince Louis has also been spotted wearing trousers and he is only three.
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The protocol in fact dates back to the 16th century, when royal boys had to wear gowns or dresses until the age of eight, Harrold explained to the BBC. Then they would wear breeches. This transition was known as breeching, which in the Victorian era signified a young boy’s step towards manhood. When this dress tradition died out, it was replaced by shorts and trousers.
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Bizarre British royal behaviours dictated by protocol: Meghan Markle had to keep her chin parallel to the ground at her wedding and Prince George wasn’t allowed to wear trousers until he turned 8

Firm handshakes, chin positioning and shorts vs trousers – life isn’t always the easiest when you’re a British royal.  Photos: AP; AFP; @theroyalfamily/Instagram

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children George, Louis and Charlotte – and for once the boys are wearing trousers. Photo: @dukeandduchessofcambridge/Instagram

Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with the Spice Girls in 1997 after their appearance at the Royal Variety performance: note the eye contact. Photo: AP

Prince Harry guides his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, down the steps of St George’s Chapel – probably just as well given the fact that she can’t look down! Photo: AFP

US President Joe Biden, right and first lady Jill Biden, left, stand with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in June this year. They would have waited until she sat before they could. Photo: AP

Those who get the chance to meet the queen must follow strict protocol and behave accordingly – if not, she may be forced to send a secret signal to her aides. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

Prince George with his parents in the stands during the UEFA Euro 2020 final between Italy and England in July – one of the first times he’d been seen wearing trousers in public. Photo: EPA-EFE

Prince Louis turned three this year and is still rocking his shorts quite happily. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

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Princess Diana’s interview with Panorama. Photo:@FilmUpdates/Twitter

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sit down with Oprah Winfrey. Photo: Handout

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Diana, Princess of Wales, with her sons Prince William and Prince Harry at Highgrove in 1988. Photo: SCMP

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Dining alongside Queen Elizabeth is no piece of cake. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

The scene is set in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace for a royal banquet. Photos: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

Queen Elizabeth is seen laughing with Prince Charles at a banquet in Windsor Castle for the Emir of Kuwait in 2012. Photo: AP

Guests dining in the Picture Gallery at The Queen’s Dinner during The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, at Buckingham Palace in London, in 2018. Photo: Getty Images

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Queen Elizabeth fires a machine gun in 1993. Photo: @gentlemensgram/Instagram

The then-Princess Elizabeth as junior commander in the ATS inspecting The Motor Transport Training Centre at Camberley, Surrey, during the Second World War in 1945. Photo: NCJ Archive/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

Britain’s then-Princess Elizabeth and her husband Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, are seen leaving Westminster Abbey, London, following their wedding in November 1947. Photo: AP Photo

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, following the queen’s coronation at Westminster Abbey in June 1953. Photo: AP Photo

US President Ronald Reagan, left, on Centennial, and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, on Burmese, go riding in the grounds of Windsor Castle, England, in June 1982. Photo: AP Photo

Queen Elizabeth rides an elephant in February 1961, during an official visit to India. Photo: AFP

The Queen Mother with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth. Photo: @yesqueensandconsorts/Instagram

The queen after a performance by students from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, at an official dinner at Buckingham Palace, in April 1998. Photo: Reuters

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo: Apple TV

A gallery assistant retouches a waxwork of Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle at Madame Tussauds London, in May 2021. Photo: Reuters

Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London, on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday. Photo: AFP

Britain’s Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex react during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on July 1, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Britain’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018, to watch a military fly-past to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Photo: AFP

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex arrives at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa in October 2019. Photo: AFP

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth attend a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in June 2018, in Widnes, England. Photo: Indigo/Getty Images

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Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive for a public walkabout at the Rotorua Government Gardens in New Zealand in October 2018. Photo: AFP

Britain’s Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, pose outside St. Mary’s Hospital in London where the duchess gave birth in July 2013. Photo: AP Photo

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, holds her new baby son George Alexander Louis in July 2013. Photo: AFP Photo

Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge talk to Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as they leave Princess Charlotte’s christening at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England, in July 2015. Photo: AFP Photo

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with their son Archie during a meeting at their legacy foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, in September 2019. Photo: PA Wire/DPA

Britain’s Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge show their newly-born son – Louis Arthur Charles – to the media outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in central London in April 2018. Photo: AFP Photo

Prince William and Kate with George and Charlotte. Photo: @KensingtonRoyal/Instagram

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