When you're a princess you can do anything — except take a selfie! Princess Charlotte may
have a fairytale life, but from taking pics with fans to slouching in public,
there are also plenty of normal things she simply can't do.
Her mother is the Princess of Wales and her aunt is the Duchess of Sussex,
but there's a high chance that Princess Charlotte of Wales probably won't become a duchess herself.
"A perfect duchess."
Charlotte will only be able to claim this title if she marries a duke, as all dukedoms in the United
Kingdom are passed down exclusively through the male line. This means that it's highly
likely that her siblings, Prince George and Prince Louis, will become dukes when they get married.
But that doesn't mean that Charlotte doesn't have a chance.
Although current rules state that Charlotte can only become a duchess if she marries into
the right family, it's been rumored that King Charles III could change this old-fashioned rule.
According to Mail on Sunday, Charles has a new,
modern vision for the monarchy that involves shaking up royal titles.
But even if she doesn't become a duchess, it's been suggested that
Charlotte will follow in the footsteps of Princess Anne and become Princess Royal
when her father ascends to the throne — and when Anne dies. As per tradition,
this title is normally bestowed upon the monarch's eldest daughter.
Although the royal family is known for giving weird gifts, the rules aren't quite as flexible
when it comes to receiving gifts. In fact, royals have to abide by a seven-page rulebook that
outlines the policy around the acceptance of these gifts. The rulebook states that, while royals can
graciously accept gifts from fans, they cannot do so if they will be placed "under any obligation to
the donor." Because of this, anything that has a monetary value over £150 has to be refused.
This rule will no doubt still be in place as Princess Charlotte of Wales gets older.
So she won't be able to keep many gifts from the public — aside from a bunch of
flowers if she chooses to accept them. As a youngster growing up in a world full of
social media and selfies, Princess Charlotte of Wales will no doubt be exposed to this technology
as she gets older. Even now, the youngster is photographed at every event she attends,
and is used to paparazzi following her every move. But while fans love seeing the official
photographs of her on Instagram, it's unlikely that we will ever see Charlotte pose for a selfie.
"Thank you. No selfies."
Although the royal website offers guidance to the general public on how to greet a royal,
there are no specific or official rules regarding selfies. However,
royal correspondent Victoria Murphy revealed that Meghan Markle seemingly confirmed the rule against
selfies during a public appearance in 2017. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly told a couple,
"We're not allowed to do selfies." Princess Catherine of Wales and Princess
Charlotte of Wales are like two peas in a pod when it comes to their style. These ladies often
wear matching outfits, and Charlotte has often been spotted wearing her mom's go-to
brands and designers. And while we're likely to see Charlotte's fashion sense change and
evolve as she gets older, she'll also have to be conscious of the Royal Family's dress code.
One major rule Charlotte will have to consider is the no-bare-legs rule. Although this has not been
officially enforced by the Royal Family, bare legs have always been considered scandalous. Moreover,
it's believed that the late Queen Elizabeth II expected all female members of the family
to follow her lead by wearing nude stockings with dresses and skirts. So,
we can expect to see Charlotte continue to wear pantyhose when she gets older,
especially as stockings caused a major divide between her mother and Meghan Markle.
"I think that's when everything changed, really."
In 2018, The Telegraph reported that Kate left in tears after a bridesmaids dress fitting for
Princess Charlotte. At the time, nobody knew what had caused such a reaction. But two years later,
royal sources told Tatler that it was Meghan's refusal to give Charlotte and
the other young bridesmaids pantyhose to wear that caused the rift between them.
It's not known whether any royals have exercised their right to vote over the years,
but a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Newsweek that senior members of the Royal
Family who are "close to the Queen" choose not to vote. This is because royals are
meant to be politically impartial, as stated on the official royal website.
Both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have confirmed the royals' stance on voting,
too. In August 2020, Meghan interviewed journalist Emily
Ramshaw to discuss gender equity. During their conversation, Meghan revealed,
"I look at that, my husband for example — he's never been able to vote."
She then added:
"I think it's such an interesting thing to say the right to vote is
not a privilege, it is a right in of itself."
A month later, Prince Harry also had his say on the matter. In a
TIME 100 interview with his wife, the couple encouraged Americans
to vote in the 2020 U.S. elections. Harry then revealed to the outlet,
"This election, I'm not going to be able to vote here in the US. But many
of you may not know that I haven't been able to vote in the UK my entire life."
Harry was in the same boat as Princess Charlotte during his youth,
meaning he was also the second-born child of the first in line to the throne. That said,
we can only assume that Charlotte also won't exercise her right to vote.
During official events and public appearances, you won't spot a member of the Royal Family without
a royal bodyguard. Even Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who had their security funding taken away
from them in 2011, are covered by royal protection when they attend official events. But as the
daughter of the future king, Princess Charlotte of Wales' 24/7 security comes as a standard.
Prince William and Princess Catherine have proven on many occasions that they keep
their children on a tight leash in order to avoid any security threats. In 2019,
The Sun revealed that Prince George's school friends even had to pass a background check before
they could have a playdate at Kensington Palace. A source told the publication,
"It does involve a bit more planning than a normal play date,
as everyone visiting the palace has to be security vetted."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wales children also got to bypass one of their school's strictest
social distancing rules. While most pupils at Thomas's Battersea had to be dropped off outside
of the school gates before making their own way into the school grounds, Prince William and Kate
were able to drop their children off inside of the gates. With these things in mind, it's highly
unlikely that Charlotte will ever be able to go anywhere without her security guards by her side.
When you think of princesses, you think of tiaras. And while it would be easy to
assume that Princess Charlotte of Wales has a whole host of royal tiaras at her disposal,
that isn't the case. In fact, she has never worn a tiara — and she won't wear a tiara
for at least another decade. That's because there are many royal rules around tiaras,
including the rule that a tiara cannot be worn before 6 p.m.
However, the rule that currently affects Charlotte
is one that states that tiaras can only be worn by married royal women,
or royal brides on their wedding day. King Charles III's former butler and etiquette expert,
Grant Harrold, confirmed this rule while speaking to the BBC. He told the outlet:
"For married ladies it [a tiara] was a sign of status and would show you were
taken and not looking for a husband. For the gentleman it was a clear sign
not to make advances toward the lady in question."
Because of this, Princess Catherine, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie donned tiaras for
the first time when they wore their stunning royal wedding tiaras. Although Charlotte won't be able
to wear her first tiara until she gets married, she has experimented with similar headgear. For
her grandfather's coronation in May 2023, Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte wore matching
headpieces that looked like tiaras. As we already know, the jury is still
out on whether Princess Charlotte of Wales will become a duchess or not. But while she
might not be able to use this royal title, she will no doubt have to follow the rules when it
comes to slouching and the "Duchess Slant." This term was coined by etiquette expert Myka Meier,
who explained a little more about this pose during an interview with People. Meier told thet outlet:
"Typically the 'duchess slant' is used when a lady has to sit for an extended
amount of time while keeping poise and posture."
"Your knees face down and this is to protect your
modesty against any camera that's coming straight on."
According to Meier, one of the "biggest etiquette mistakes a lady can make" is to cross her
legs at the knee. This is why you'll never see Princess Catherine making this mistake. In fact,
the "Duchess Slant" position has widely become associated with Charlotte's mom,
who seems to have perfected this pose over the years. And it seems
as though she's already passing down her knowledge and experience to her daughter.
In October 2018, Prince William and Kate celebrated Princess Eugenie and Jack
Brooksbank's wedding by posting their official wedding portraits on Instagram. Of course, some
fans were quick to congratulate the newlyweds, but others couldn't ignore the fact that the
young Charlotte, who served as a bridesmaid for the event, seemed to showcase her own "Duchess
Slant." Although it wasn't quite as defined as her mother's, the basics were still there.