10 Rules That Royal Children Must Follow
Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales on June 2, 2022; Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte of Wales in 2025.Credit: Max Mumby/Getty; Kensington Palace/InstagramRoyal etiquette starts young for Prince George and his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
Royal children are introduced to rules and protocols early to prepare for their future roles
Kate Middleton emphasizes giving her children a balance of normalcy and outdoor play alongside royal duties
Traditions like baptism, wearing shorts, etiquette training and traveling with a black outfit are all aspects of a royal childhood
Being royal is a way of life — even for kids.
For many members of the British royal family — including Kate Middleton and Prince William’s kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — their childhood includes preparation for becoming king or queen, which comes with some dos and don’ts.
It’s not all business, though, as the Princess of Wales has opened up about trying to give her children as much of a normal life as she can, including by playing outdoors.
“As children, we spent a lot of time outside, and it’s something I’m really passionate about,” she said during a February 2020 episode of the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, adding that she hopes her children feel the same. “That’s what I would want them to remember: those moments with me as a mother, but also the family going to the beach, getting soaking wet, filling our boots full of water. Those are what I would want them to remember.”
Below, here’s everything to know about 10 rules and traditions that British royal children abide by.
01 of 10
Their birth announcement is a public event
Easel with an announcement in front of Buckingham Palace in 2019Credit: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty
In a tradition dating back to at least 1837, Buckingham Palace shares the news of a royal baby’s birth with an official written announcement placed on a golden easel behind the palace’s gates. The notice remains on display for 24 hours, per the British royal family’s website.
More recently, members of the royal family have introduced their children to the public shortly after they’re born, starting with Princess Diana and King Charles. The former couple famously stood on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital to give the world its first glimpse of Prince William — and, two years later, Prince Harry.
The Prince and Princess of Wales kept with that tradition for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis’ births.
02 of 10
Baptism is required
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge carries Prince Louis as they arrive for his christening service in July 2018Credit: Dominic Lipinski/Getty
All royals must be baptized by the Church of England in order to be in the line of succession to the throne. Per the royal family’s website, “The Sovereign must, in addition, be in communion with the Church of England and must swear to preserve the established Church of England and the established Church of Scotland.”
It’s been tradition to wear a christening gown that dates back to 1841 when Queen Victoria had it designed for her daughter, Princess Victoria. Royals wore the custom robe for more than a century before Queen Elizabeth commissioned a replica in 2004 to preserve the original, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
03 of 10
They go through etiquette training
Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales travel by carriage during Trooping The Colour 2026Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage
Royal children may be exposed to etiquette training from a young age.
“Etiquette training for the royals starts as soon as they’re old enough to sit at a table,” Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, told PEOPLE in May 2018. “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.”
04 of 10
They curtsy or bow to the monarch
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge attempts a curtsey to the Queen at the Christmas Day Church on December 25, 2019Credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty
Members of the royal family — including those with the title of His or Her Royal Highness — traditionally do a neck bow or curtsy to the monarch and his or her spouse when seeing each other for the first time in a while.
Even 4-year-old Charlotte could be seen adorably dipping into a curtsy alongside her mom when Queen Elizabeth’s car drove by following the 2019 Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
05 of 10
Two future monarchs can’t travel together, unless given permission
Prince George of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales during the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
It’s customary that two future monarchs shouldn’t fly together starting at age 12, should an accident occur while traveling. This rule held true for Prince William, as noted by King Charles’ former pilot, Graham Laurie.
“He had to have a separate aircraft, and we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth],” Laurie shared during an episode of A Right Royal Podcast. “When William became 12, he would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt, and we would fly the 146 out with the other three on.”
Although Prince George is now second in line to the throne behind his father, Prince William, it’s unclear if they travel separately.
06 of 10
Young boys predominately wear shorts
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Kate Middleton and Prince William near Ascot on September 7, 2022Credit: Jonathan Brady/Getty
It’s been an enduring tradition for British upper-class boys to wear shorts during their younger years.
“Boys wear short trousers until they are 8,” editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward previously shared with PEOPLE. “It is very English.”
Both Prince George and Prince Louis have been photographed in shorts for several notable occasions, including Louis at Easter Day service at Windsor and George for Charlotte’s christening at St. Mary Magdalene church.
For Trooping the Colour in 2026, Prince Louis — who was 8 years old at the time — could be seen wearing full-length trousers alongside George.
07 of 10
They attend church services on holidays
Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Catherine, Princess of Wales during the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 5, 2025Credit: Aaron Chown/Getty
Christmas Day at Sandringham — which includes a short walk to a church service and greeting well-wishers — is an annual tradition in the royal family.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte first attended the outing in 2019 at ages 6 and 4, respectively, while Prince Louis joined the rest of the family in 2022 at 4 years old.
The royal family also attends church on other Christian holidays such as Easter.
08 of 10
They can only keep gifts if they meet certain criteria
Prince Louis of Wales reacts as he carries gifts from wellwishers on December 25, 2024Credit: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty
Per the official royal gift policy, members of the royal family can receive gifts given by individuals not personally known to them as long as they meet certain criteria.
Acceptable items include flowers, consumable items (within reasonable quantities), copies of books presented by the author — provided the subject matter is not controversial — and other items of small monetary value costing less than £150.
09 of 10
They have to pack a black outfit while traveling
Prince George of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Sophie, Countess of Wessex during the State Funeral of Queen ElizabethCredit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
A tradition that stemmed from Queen Elizabeth’s own life is packing a black outfit while traveling.
The late monarch was 25 years old and in Kenya with her husband, Prince Philip, when she received the news that her father, King George, unexpectedly died. Unprepared, she hopped back on a flight in the clothes she had been wearing, reportedly a beige dress with white shoes.
“A black dress was quickly smuggled on board, because we didn’t have a black dress. So she quickly had to change,” Lady Pamela Hicks, Philip’s cousin and a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, recalled during an episode of The India Hicks Podcast with her daughter India.
It has been customary ever since to always have a mourning outfit on hand.
10 of 10
They open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve
Prince and Princess of Wales with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis look at messages on the Kindness Tree on Dec. 6, 2024Credit: Jordan Pettitt/Getty
The royal family partakes in the German tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve. Prince Harry shared that it is “a German tradition that survived the anglicizing of the family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor” in his memoir, Spare.
“By custom, at the start of the night, each of us located our place, stood before our mound of presents,” he continued. “Then suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time. A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper.”
However, these aren’t typical gifts — the sillier, the better. Once, Prince Harry even reportedly bestowed a Big Mouth Bill Bass singing fish to his late grandmother.
Source: Entertainment
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