Top 10 Times the Royals Were NOT Just Like Us
#10: Pressed PJs & Shoelaces
If we’re being honest here, we didn't even realize that shoelaces could get wrinkled. But apparently King Charles knows they can, and he refuses to let that happen. Well, actually he makes sure one of the many people who serve him refuses to let that happen. Per Paul Burrell - who previously worked for Princess Diana and the Queen - Charles has his pajamas “pressed every morning” and “his shoelaces are pressed flat with an iron.” It turns out wrinkled laces aren’t the only thing we’ve been clueless about, either. We only know about Velvet toilet paper because there are rumors the King is an avid user of the product! There were even stories about him having his own toilet seat, though he’s denied those!
#9: On Election Day
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While too many people don’t vote, on election day we all can - and are strongly encouraged to do so. After all, it’s a way to make our voices heard and be part of the democratic political process. Things are pretty different for the Royals though. The family is meant to remain neutral in the public eye when it comes to politics and thus, they typically don’t vote in elections. This is especially true for the King or Queen. Now technically, there’s no law against it. But the U.K. Parliament’s website states that “it is considered unconstitutional for the Monarch to vote in an election.”
#8: The Balmoral Test
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In the fourth season of “The Crown,” we watch as Diana meets the Charles’ family at Balmoral Castle for what’s known as “the Balmoral test.” Basically, it’s just a get-to-know-you situation. But when the people you’re getting to know are the Royals, everything is turned up a few notches. Guests are figuratively poked and prodded and expected to maneuver the many family and estate traditions that the castle demands. While “The Crown” is a fictionalized television show, it’s been said that this “test” is indeed real. If you thought meeting your significant other’s family was stressful, just imagine what having to go through that would be like!
#7: No Touching
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Talk about NOT like us! People, especially women, have been fighting against unwanted and often intrusive touching for what feels like forever. Yet when then-First Lady Michelle Obama put her arm gently around the Queen’s shoulder in 2009, it was a much discussed and reported faux-pas across the land. Now, it isn’t against the law to touch the Monarch, or any member of the family. But - as with many of the rules - protocol does dictate that one not do so unless it’s been initiated by the Royal in question. Not touching someone unless they indicate it’s ok… now, that’s a concept more people should respect on a daily basis.
#6: No Documentation Required
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Remember that time the cop stopped you and you didn’t have your driver’s license on you and they told you that’s okay, you don’t need it? Or when you went to the airport for an international flight and got on the plane without showing your passport? Oh wait, you probably don’t because you aren’t the King or Queen of England. Indeed, the reigning monarch doesn’t need those documents. We’re out here paying fines for forgetting our licenses and stressing out about passport renewals before an overseas trip! Meanwhile, King Charles is relaxing in his newly pressed pajamas and not worrying about any of that. We’re guessing he doesn’t wait in long airport lines either!
#5: Kate Middleton’s Dress Almost Destroyed a Business
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Do any dresses you’ve ever worn have their own Wikipedia page? Has a photo of you wearing a dress ever almost destroyed a business? There’s one woman in the world that can answer ‘yes’ to both those questions and that woman is Kate Middleton. When Middleton wore a little blue dress by fashion designer Daniella Issa Helayel in her engagement photos, Helayel probably thought that it would be great for her. The problem was it was too great. After the pictures went public, demand for the dress exploded to a point where the designer and her label couldn’t keep up with the 45% increase in sales. The business eventually went “into administration,” launching again in 2015.
#4: Money for Repairs
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In November of 1992, there was a major fire at Windsor Castle that caused millions of dollars worth of damage. The castle is a primary residence of the Royal family, and is owned by the state. It was therefore thought that the state, via taxpayers, would pay. In the end, a private trust was set up and the Queen made some of Buckingham Palace open to visits for a fee to cover the bill. Charging people to visit your house sounds pretty tempting, but it’s also completely unrealistic for anyone who isn’t royalty. The Queen did begin paying income tax after the fire, though! Interestingly, she also requested (and was denied) a poverty grant to help with heating costs back in 2004.
#3: Permission to Marry
Many people choose to ask their partner’s parents for a blessing before proposing to. But how many of us have been legally obligated to ask the United Kingdom’s monarch for permission to tie the knot? Well, for the longest time, most members of the British Royal Family required the sovereign's permission to wed. That’s no longer fully the case. The passage of Succession to the Crown Act in 2013 limited the monarch’s veto power to just the first six people in line to the throne. And then there’s the weddings themselves. How many of us have watched a royal wedding and thought, “wow, that looks just like a typical ceremony”?
#2: Charles Becomes King
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The Queen died, Charles was the next in line, so he became King. But can you imagine the weird dynamic of having to wait for your parent to pass away before you get a promotion at work? Plus, his succession had very little to do with how qualified he is – he was simply Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son. At least on HBO’s “Succession,” where one of the kids would likely take over the company should anything happen to Logan Roy, the ability to do the job matters! Oh, and did we mention that Charles doesn’t have to pay the 40% inheritance tax that’s required of British commoners? Must be nice.
#1: The 1969 Documentary
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By the end of the 1960s, the importance accorded by the public to the Royal Family was seen as dwindling. So a TV documentary about them felt like a great way to endear the Queen and her family back into the hearts and minds of the British people. Well, it worked. Many millions of people worldwide tuned in, and it seemed to lift the stature of the Royals amongst the populace. However, by putting themselves out there like that it also seemed to make it okay to comment, criticize and intrude on the family’s lives to a degree not seen prior. We can all relate to that right?
