The main rule to follow when meeting the queen Arguably, the most important thing to remember is that you should never touch the monarch and only shake his hand if she offers it.
There are no official rules forbidding public displays of affection, but the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip set a precedent encouraging royals to keep touching to a minimum.
This is because it is generally frowned upon for members of the public to touch royals. “If you are a member of the public meeting a member of the royal family, you should never offer your hand to shake — wait for them to initiate the handshake,” Harrold added.
There are strict rules surrounding the crown jewels, and only three people in the world are allowed to touch them: the current monarch (that's now King Charles III), the Archbishop of Canterbury and the crown jeweler. For more than 800 years, the crown jewels have lived in the Tower of London.
Royal author and TV presenter, professor of history Kate Williams of Reading University, points out that “monarchs were divinely appointed to rule by God, so they were kind of seen as gods, so they demanded to be treated as gods.” So definitely no touching back then, unless it was the monarchs who did the touching ...
Sovereign immunity means that as head of the state Queen Elizabeth 'cannot commit a legal wrong and is immune from civil suit or criminal prosecution'. As well as this, the Queen also benefits from diplomatic immunity, meaning she can commit a crime just about anywhere in the world and get away with it!
Kate Middleton and Prince William don't often hold hands or publicly show affection. An unwritten rule saying royals must act professionally could be why they rarely engage in PDA. During rare occasions, the pair's been seen holding hands or touching each other's backs.
“I would stand down until I was touched,” she said. “Or hugged.” While there aren't any legal rules in place, it is accepted that people should not touch a royal family member, unless the royal is the one who initiates contact.
Apparently, she heads to bed at 10.30pm each evening in order to get a good night's sleep. The bling is stunning, obviously. Regular exercise is also said to help with sleep and Kate leads an active lifestyle, often talking about how she loves to get outdoors – it's thought that she runs or walks every day.
For most, a hug is a completely normal way to express affection, but not for royals when they're out and about on an official engagement. It's rare for a member of the Queen's family to embrace in public as they're technically working, but every now and then, the royals decide that rules are there to be broken.
There are also rules of etiquette for encounters with the queen, although they are less rigid than many believe. Chief among them: Don't get too affectionate with the queen, who does not expect to be hugged or kissed by guests.
"The one thing they talked about a lot was no selfies, and the reason was that they didn't want people turning their backs to the Royal Family and the Queen. And that was very important to them," Greg Agnew said. "You do not turn your back on the Royal Family, and you do not attempt to walk up and talk to them."
"Toilet"
If you're looking for a restroom in Buckingham Palace, ask for the loo or the lavatory.
There are circumstances in which they are allowed to speak…
warnings if they fail to move away or start to act aggressively,” the Reddit guard says. For instance, they're known to yell “make way for the Queen's Guard!” at tourists who get in their way.
There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms. For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.
Throughout her reign, the monarch also maintained an aura of dignity and mystique around her. So much so, that even the phone hacking scandal in the country failed to gain anything on her. The reason- her special phone. According to Express UK, the Queen had a phone with a “highly encrypted anti-hacking mechanism”.
Does the Queen ever cook for herself? McGrady says that while Prince Philip was an “amazing chef” and regularly enjoyed cooking on the grill and having family BBQs on the Balmoral estate, and the younger royals like William, Kate, Meghan and Harry, all enjoy cooking, the Queen herself stays out of the kitchen.
Perhaps this is a hobby of Queen Elizabeth's that will come as less of a surprise to most people. Stamp collecting is one of the world's most popular hobbies and is done in all cultures all over the world. Queen Elizabeth, herself appeared on several stamps, so it makes sense she had a collection!
As an old tradition dictates, royal couples never share the same bed or bedroom, allowing them to move freely while asleep. It allows them much needed alone time after hours of being in the limelight.
Traditionally, when greeting a member of the British royal family, men bow their heads and women do a small curtsy, according to the royal family's website. Little footage exists of the queen bowing to others, though AP footage shows she bowed her head as Princess Diana's funeral procession passed by in 1997.
President Jimmy Carter broke royal protocol by kissing the Queen Mother on the lips during his visit in 1977. "I took a sharp step backwards – not quite far enough," the Queen Mother is said to have remarked after the encounter, according to BBC.
Anybody is allowed to order a photograph of either HM The Queen or HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. But you must fulfill certain criteria before you can receive a signed photograph.
She says: "These gestures reflect high levels of affection and attraction, so there might be a practical reason to avoid the hand clasp. "As senior royals at events, the hand clasp might be seen as a clumsy ritual when there are many hands to shake and so many people to greet one at a time."
Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette and a royal etiquette expert, revealed to People that "there is no actual etiquette or royal protocol that says the couple must refrain from PDA." With that in mind, Meier told People in another interview that "it is rare to see royal couples holding hands on official ...
Lady Pamela explained, “In England, the upper class always have had separate bedrooms. You don't want to be bothered with snoring or someone flinging a leg around. Then when you are feeling cozy you share your room sometimes. It is lovely to be able to choose.”