A special toilet seat for the king?
Some royals have more than one kind of throne.
And why did Prince Harry get an exception to this, well, hairy rule?
When it comes to rules that the royals follow regarding the bathroom, there are structures
they both adhere to and implement themselves.
For the late Queen Elizabeth II — who spent 70 years on the throne — she had a particular
set of expectations and rules regarding her bathing ritual, broken down for the public
by royal author Brian Hoey.
Hoey explained that the late monarch's morning unfolded the same way every day.
After waking up, Queen Elizabeth's maid would draw her a bath at 7:30 a.m.
While she was waiting for the water to fill the tub, the queen would drink a cup of Earl
Grey tea while catching up on the news via BBC Radio 4.
No matter what residence she was staying in at the time, the queen's bath would always
be drawn with "tepid" water, and the maid would stop the water after an exact seven
inches was poured.
To double check the temperature, the maid would use a thermometer to ensure the perfect
bathing water — only then would the queen step into the tub.
By around 8:30 a.m., the queen would have "fixed her hair" and put on the outfit laid
out for her before enjoying her breakfast.
Every person who lives with a man knows the struggle of walking into the bathroom and
seeing beard hair in the sink.
Not so for the royals, however.
When it comes to the bathroom and personal hair care, royals are expected to keep their
facial hair to a minimum.
As noted by The Scotsman, it is customary for royal men to be clean-shaven, and none
of the royal family members wear a beard on their wedding day or at special occasions.
Of course, there is one exception — Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
The Scotsman noted that for Harry to appear with a beard and in military uniform — as
he was seen on his wedding day and during many official appearances — he had to be
given permission from Queen Elizabeth II.
Talk about a hairy situation.
"'Til death us do part."
There isn't a week that goes by when we don't vacuum our bathroom.
From the amount of hair that falls out of our heads to fluff from cotton pads to just
general dust, the bathroom floor can get pretty cluttered throughout the week.
But while just clicking the extension onto the vacuum, plugging in, and pressing on is
the cleaning habit most of us are used to, such a practice is not permitted in royal households.
The royal website notes that there are 78 bathrooms in Buckingham Palace alone, and
household staff members are not allowed to use vacuums to keep the floor tidy.
That's right.
As noted by Hello!
Magazine, maids and servants must sweep the floors and carpets.
As shown in the documentary Royal Servants, vacuum cleaners aren't allowed in the royal
halls given how disruptively noisy they are.
Language is critical in the royal family.
The firm members are always poised, articulate, and never insulting.
The rules regarding language are so extensive, however, that they apply to vocabulary that
we wouldn't have even thought of ourselves, including language used to describe the bathroom.
As noted by The Sun, the late Queen Elizabeth II did not find the word "toilet" appropriate
for polite conversation.
Instead, the words "lavatory" or the British colloquialism, "the loo," were reasonable alternatives.
And while the queen is no longer with us, this rule is unlikely to change.
Why is the word "toilet" banned from the royal conversation?
Well, it's been widely reported that since the term "toilet" stems from the French language,
it isn't appropriate for royal circles, though we're not sure how true that is.
There's nothing quite like getting home from a long day in the office, turning on the bathtub,
and sinking into the bubbles with a book and a glass of wine.
It's a relaxing ritual, but when it comes to the royals, bathing is a day-to-day practice
that stands in place of showering.
As aforementioned, Queen Elizabeth II had very specific bathing rules that were followed
on a daily basis, and she wasn't the only royal to have structured self-care.
As noted by Woman & Home, the late queen, her sister Princess Margaret, and other royals
saw showering — instead of bathing — as a practice for the busy common person, preferring
a bath over a standing shower any day.
Royal expert Craig Brown further explained the odd bathing rule and perspective, saying,
"[Princess Margaret] always took a bath because she and other royals believe showers are for
people who are rushing out the door to get to work."
Of all the royals people closely watch, King Charles III occupies a spotlight that is rivaled
perhaps only by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The newly named monarch, though, doesn't always hit the headlines for the most flattering
of reasons — even during his first week on the job, King Charles III had an outburst
regarding a pen that circulated widely on social media.
"I can't bear this bloody thing!"
His oddities and specific rules of engagement apply to his bathroom rules as well.
As written by Tina Brown in her book The Palace Papers, King Charles has specifications applying
to his toilet seat, the kind of toilet paper he uses, and what must be in tow when he travels.
Brown was given specific information about Charles's bathroom rules by his former aide,
Michael Fawcett, who revealed that the king requires bathroom essentials such as his own
"lavatory seat" and "Kleenex Velvet lavatory paper."
The bathroom essentials were even part of a truckload's worth of personal items that
traveled with the king, even when staying at a friend's home in the country.
Alright, real talk — how many of you take your phone or a magazine into the bathroom with you?
If you said no, we know you're lying.
"Get off the high road, Summer.
We all got pink eye because you won't stop texting on the toilet."
A study conducted in the United Kingdom found that men, in particular, spend about seven
hours a year on the toilet, and 84% of those surveyed admitted to browsing through social
media while doing their business.
But if you're a royal family member, you can't abide by such typical restroom habits.
No phone, newspaper, or magazine — in fact, reading material of any kind is seen as "unhygienic"
while sitting on the porcelain throne and, as such, is not permitted in the royal restrooms.
Such odd rules extend further past reading material.
House Beautiful notes that candles are not standard in royal bathrooms, nor are products
like a diffuser.
There must be a neatly folded stack of white hand towels for people to use while visiting
the royal home, and toilet paper must be placed on the roller to come from the over position,
not under.
"Welcome to Windsor Castle."
Some foods people know don't agree with their systems.
For quite a few of us out there, it's dairy — for others, it's nuts.
Whatever the food, many of us know what to stay clear of when it comes to our own bodies.
And while the royal family members might have the well-being of their relatives in mind
when it comes to foods to avoid, this rule takes the cake.
According to former palace chef Darren McGrady, some foods typical in fine dining cuisine
are simply off the table for the royals, having been deemed too risky.
These foods include shellfish and foie gras, and while we can get behind the no foie gras
rule, who wants to skip the shrimp cocktail during happy hour?
So why no shellfish, in particular?
Former butler for the royals turned etiquette expert Grant Harrold explained that it has
to do with timing and not getting an upset stomach while on the job – and the hasty
bathroom trip that might entail.
Harrold explained to the Daily Express,
"When dining, the royal family has to be careful with shellfish due to shellfish poisoning
due to their work schedules.
Therefore, you will not normally find this on the royal menu."
Take a moment to think about the hand soap aisle in Target.
From Mrs. Meyers to Everspring, there are some great options out there that are a little
on the fancier side.
But never mind the price — when it comes to the royals, no liquid soap will do, even
if it's the most expensive and luxurious on the market.
Royal etiquette expert Myka Meier spoke to House Beautiful about the hosting and bathroom
habits of the royals, and she should be the expert worth listening to, given that she
attended finishing school in the United Kingdom.
And as it so happens, royals likely use bar soap over liquid, with Meier explaining why
a duchess like Catherine Middleton would never have a pump bottle in the bathroom.
Meier explained,
"The duchess will also probably have lightly scented soap and paired hand cream.
Many upper-class British homes prefer bar soap to liquid, so the duchess may use that
in her private quarters."
So why the bar?
Maybe it's just classier.
We're not royal, so who's to say?
King Charles III knows a thing or three about being raised in a palace, and it appears that
some of his personal hygiene habits have not advanced past childhood.
In fact, a former butler to Diana Spencer, Paul Burrell, revealed that the now-king has
a very specific set of bathroom rules.
Burrell claimed that when it comes to the king's bath every day, the bath plug must
be placed in a particular position, and the water temperature has to be the perfect degree
of "tepid" — which typically has 98 degrees fahrenheit as the highest threshold.
Burrell also said that King Charles has his valets squeeze one inch of toothpaste onto
his toothbrush every morning.
Yet another expert, royal biographer Anthony Holden, further commented on the royal's means
of getting dressed, saying,
"Charles, for all his attempts to find out how the other half lives and interest in the
less fortunate in society, for all that, he has two men, paid for by the state, to help
him get dressed in the morning."