The life of a Royal is obviously far from ordinary. Hence, our fascination. Though the job is filled with endless responsibilities and commitments, most of us would choose it over our normal lives. In addition to the uniqueness of Royal life, there are quite a few nice perks. Getting to be treated like a Queen is a pretty sweet deal. Although the British Royal family does not have the power it once did, they still have a great deal of influence, and its members are able to get away with things that average citizens wouldn't dream of. Some of their demands may seem excessive and unreasonable, but if there was no one around to tell us no, we imagine we'd start to get a bit unreasonable too. From endless rules about dining to private ATMs, you'll be shocked (and envious) at many of the absurd luxuries the Royals get to have. Read on to get ideas on some of the ridiculous demands you could make if you marry a Royal (stranger things have happened) and find out who the biggest diva is in the family. We'll give you a hint: it's not the Queen.
16 The Royal Family Demanded Homeless People Be Cleared From The Streets Of Windsor Ahead Of Meghan And Harry's Wedding
The Royal wedding is meant to showcase the best of England, in a lot of ways it's more so about the UK's image and encouraging tourism than anything else. Still, this particular revelation is truly upsetting. According to Sunday Express, Windsor council leader Simon Dudley sent a letter to police requesting that the town's homeless people be cleared out ahead of the wedding.
He claimed that homeless in the area had "made a life choice" and that they would paint England in an "unfavorable light."
According to USA Today, homeless has risen over 136% in England over the past five years.
The justification being used for the attempt to clear homeless people out of the area is how much income the Royal wedding is expected to generate for England (over $500 million). The question is how much of this will actually go towards addressing England's homeless problem. The irony of the Royals being known for their charitable duties while homeless people surround the Queen's "weekend castle" seems to be lost on them...
15 During William And Kate's Engagement, The Queen Made A List Of 777 People They Had To Invite To The Wedding
If you thought the film Monster-In-Law was bad, you'll be shocked at the amount of influence the Queen has over the love lives of her grandsons. According to The Daily Mail, when it was time for Prince William to get married, the Queen had quite a few contributions to make to the guest list, to the tune of 777 people!
Obviously, one of the things that come with being a Royal is the fact that your wedding is not exactly your own.
Nevertheless, being made to invite almost 800 people to your wedding is pretty extreme, especially since Will and Kate apparently did not know any of these people! The Queen reportedly came around and cut down on the huge list, but it's safe to assume that there were still a few hundred guests at the wedding Will and Kate didn't know. Hopefully, they didn't have to greet them all!
14 Queen Elizabeth Has Someone Break Her Shoes In For Her
There are certain things the majority of us take for granted as being part of the human experience. If you're ever speaking to the Queen of England, we don't suggest starting off with an anecdote about breaking in new shoes because she won't be able to relate. According to The Evening Standard, the Queen has someone break her shoes in for her. It's amazing how wealth can afford you certain luxuries you may have never even considered. After all, who wants to break in their own shoes? That's no fun!
Steward Parvin, the Queen's stylist, remarked that "[The Queen] has the right to have someone wear them in...the shoes have to be immediately comfortable."
To be fair, the Queen is almost 92-years-old, so we can understand her not wanting to walk around in uncomfortable shoes. Besides, whoever has this job gets to wear the Queen's shoes before she even does. Sounds like a win-win!
13 Prince Charles Travels With His Own Set Of Towels
From what we've gathered it seems that Prince William and Prince Harry's father Prince Charles is a bit of a germaphobe. He's been long known for making a lengthy list of demands from his staff, and this is especially true when he travels. According to E! News, Prince Charles travels with his own hand towels in order to avoid public hand dryers, and he even has a bathroom designated for his personal use whenever possible while attending events. In some ways, we can sympathize with this stipulation. The Prince probably has to meet a lot of people and shake a lot of hands when traveling, so this seems like one way to protect himself from germs. On the other hand, it seems very excessive. Every time Prince Charles goes to an event, some poor staffer is probably responsible for carrying around his towels. After all that work, the Prince might have a weak immune system.
12 He Also Has His Staff Dress Him
It seems like something from the olden days; the notion of a Prince relying on his servants to dress him. Well, the British have always been about tradition!
Formal Royal servant Brian Hoey revealed in his book, Not In Front Of The Corgis, that Prince Charles has never dressed himself.
Overall, it seems that some members of the British Royal family take advantage of their status more than others. Out of all the most prominent members, Prince Charles is arguably one of the most high maintenance. Hoey also mentions that Prince Charles likes to have his shoelaces ironed. We're not going to think too hard about the practicalities of how to iron a shoelace, but we can assure you that this somehow pales in comparison to some of the other absurd demands Prince Charles makes of those around him.
11 ...And He Requests That Flags Fly On Public Buildings On His Wife Camilla's Birthday
It should come as no surprise that Prince Charles would demand something like this, considering what we know about him so far. In some ways, you could argue that his request is odd because he has no real political power, then again his request would be even more inappropriate if he were a politician. As you can imagine, this request caused a great deal of controversy. There is plenty of people both in England and abroad who are not a fan of Camilla since Prince Charles admitted to beginning his relationship with her while he was still married to the beloved Princess Diana. Oh, the drama! Unsurprisingly, the order was defied by quite a few local governments and caused so much controversy that Buckingham Palace released a statement saying that Prince Charles had nothing to do with the request.
10 The Queen's Corgis Have Their Own Personal Chef
One thing people close to the Queen often mention is her love of Welsh corgis. She apparently has quite a few and expects them to be treated as members of the Royal family.
Not only do the Queen's corgis have their own quarters at Buckingham Palace, they also get to have something that most people never will; a personal chef.
Whether the dogs know the difference or not is up for debate, but Hello magazine reported that the corgis' personal chef prepares meals for them based on instructions they receive from their trainers each day.
This definitely brings new meaning to the phrase "lucky dog." If only the Queen had the same regard for those homeless people on the streets of Windsor. ..too far?
9 The Queen Requested Princess Diana And Prince Charles' Divorce
Prince Charles and Princess Diana were separated for three years before they divorced, but according to the LA Times, it was Queen Elizabeth that ultimately requested their divorce. The Queen apparently sent Prince Charles and Princess Diana separate letters (the year was 1995) to which Prince Charles responded with an official letter of his own agreeing to the divorce. Remarkably, none of this was done in secret. Instead, an official statement was released when the Queen sent the letters, which is a little surprising considering how private the Royal Family is when it comes to discussing their personal lives. At the time, Prince Charles had already admitted to his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and the divorce was apparently the Queen's way of quieting the scandal. Considering that divorce was probably inevitable for the couple, we suppose the Queen was probably just speeding things up with this request.
8 Princess Diana Never Ate Red Meat
Members of the Royal Family seem to have lots of dietary stipulations, which we suppose just comes with having personal chefs committed to pleasing your palette. However, Princess Diana's request to avoid red meat is a bit more complicated. Darren McGrady, a former chef for the Royal Family who worked for Princess Diana after she and Prince Charles separated, says she avoided red meat because she struggled with a personal issue.
McGrady admitted, "All my recipes changed when I moved to Princess Diana."
According to CNN, McGrady learned to make low-calorie versions of his recipes to help address her restrictions. Though the Royal Family make many demands of their staff, it is interesting to understand the reasoning behind some of them. In Diana's case, it's very fortunate she had access to a chef that could help accommodate her health struggles.
7 The Queen Has A Menu Book Delivered To Her Every Few Days And Refuses To Eat Garlic
One stipulation that comes with being a Royal is agreeing to have almost every detail of your life planned. Food is no exception when it comes to this rule, meaning that the Queen has her meals planned out days ahead of time. According to the former Royal chef, Darren McGrady, the Queen has a menu book delivered to her every few days which she uses to plan out the dishes she wants for the following days. Having to plan out so many meals ahead of time sounds exhausting. How is anyone supposed to pick out what they'll be craving days ahead of time?
One thing you never see on the menu, however, is garlic, because the Queen hates the smell and taste of it!
McGrady says she sticks to her meal planning "religiously." Gotta admire that level of discipline! At the end of the day though, we doubt anyone would deny the Queen if she changed her mind at the last minute.
6 Her Butlers Are Not Allowed To Speak To Her Unless She Addresses Them First
Richard Kerrigan, a former butler for the Royal family, revealed quite a few interesting details about working for the Royal family in an interview for Kyle & Jackie O.
In addition to revealing it takes two days to set up the dining table for banquets, he also admitted that the butlers are not allowed to speak to the Queen unless she initiates first.
Overall, we think this sounds like a recipe for a lot of awkwardness. Though these butlers may see the Queen on a regular basis, a rule like this is a constant reminder that they are not equals, though it's hard to argue that their positions are influenced by much more than a genetic lottery. It's a shame to think of all the great conversation the Queen could be missing out on with the people she's surrounded by.
5 Everyone Must Stop Eating Once The Queen Does
So far there have been a lot of upsetting revelations about the Royal family on this list, but dare we say this is arguably the worst one? We hope the Queen doesn't eat too quickly, because the thought of so many people having to put down their forks before they're full (and all the food being wasted) is very upsetting. According to Hello magazine, anyone that is dining with the Queen at banquets and formal dinners must stop eating when she does. Unfortunately, former Royal chef McGrady says that the Queen is "not a foodie" so it sounds like there is indeed a lot of food being wasted. Perhaps it's possible to get the rest of your meal to-go?
4 Prince Phillip Once Demanded The Staff's Dinner Instead Of His Own
We don't hear too much about The Queen's husband, Prince Phillip. Whoever former Royal chef Darren McGrady has an interesting story about him as well. He told Marie Claire that there was once an occasion where he made the staff swap dinner with him. Apparently, the whole thing occurred over some lamb chops the Prince had his eye on. Prince Phillip walked into the kitchen to find out what was for dinner, but once he was told, he decided he'd rather have the lamb chops that was meant to be the staff's dinner. As a result, McGrady had to swap the family's planned meal for the staff's. Honestly, we're pretty jealous the Royal staff gets to have lamb chops for dinner...hypothetically, at least.
3 The Queen Has Her Own Private Cash Machine
It may seem absurd, the idea of the Queen having her own private cash machine. But at the same time, she certainly can't go line up at the bank, can she? That's up for debate, but for now, the Queen can simply go to her private ATM to withdraw any funds she may desire.
Apparently, the basement of Buckingham Palace features an ATM for the Royal family that they use to withdraw funds.
The idea of this really stirs up so many more questions than it answers; like whether the Queen has a personal bank account, or why she would ever need to withdraw cash herself considering she probably has many people in charge of her finances. Unfortunately, these will probably never be answered. We'll just go on imagining some sort of gold-encrusted ATM in the basement of Buckingham Palace that spouts endless amounts of cash for anyone with Royal blood.
2 Prince Charles And Camilla Send List Of Foods They Don't Like To Party Hosts Before Attending
By now you know that Prince Charles is arguably more demanding that the Queen herself. Unsurprisingly, Camilla adapted many of his extravagant habits once these two got married. British writer Tom Bower's tell-all titled The Rebel Prince reveals many of Prince Charles and his wife's extravagant habits (maybe NDAs just aren't a thing in England?!). Bowen reveals that Prince Charles and Camilla came up with a brilliant way to ensure they never have to eat anything they don't like at parties. Whenever the couple accepts an invitation to a dinner party, they send a list of foods they like and dislike ahead of time. This is just the beginning, though, because Bower also revealed that Prince Charles travels with his own toilet seat, and Camilla once tried to take a private jet to an environmental conference. We're kinda at a loss for words...
1 The Queen's Husband, Prince Phillip, Must Walk Two Steps Behind Her
Though the Queen and her husband still clearly practice this rule, it certainly seems a bit outdated. We imagine it would be rather uncomfortable being told we had to walk behind our spouse, even if she is the Queen of England.
Prince Phillip has had quite a bit of time to get used to this rule evidently, and it's rather remarkable to think that he began walking behind his wife in an era when society expected the reverse from the average couple.
Apparently, this tradition is meant to show hierarchy and is also employed during events, where members of the Royal family line up in order of their distance from the throne. So at least in the case of events, he isn't alone in having to deal with this traditional rule.
References: Jezebel.com, Bustle.com, ChesterChronicle.com, Express.com, StyleCaster.com, DailyMail.com
