Bags of blood? Racing pigeons? While the royals do their best to appear flawless,
their wacky rules and strange traditions prove
that they're still human.
Ravens have a powerful presence in myths and legends all over the world. However,
many Westerners see the raven as an omen of doom and destruction. And as it turns out,
even the royals are superstitious about ravens.
The Tower of London is a castle almost a thousand years old that sits in the heart of London. Legend
has it that in the 17th century, six ravens took up residence in the structure. King Charles II,
England's ruler at the time, became convinced that the British empire would
fall if the birds ever left the tower. Centuries have passed, but a small group
of ravens still roam the fortress grounds, acting as guardians to the Tower of London.
Today, England's legendary Tower ravens remain a colorful and important component of the country's
history. As you can imagine, the lifestyle of a royal tower raven is nothing short of
lavish. The flock has its own caregivers, known as ravenmasters, who tend to their every need. Plus,
the royal ravens get treated to extravagant meals, such as blood-soaked biscuits.
As demonstrated by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a royal expiration triggers massive changes
within the monarchy. Therefore, the royal family takes extreme measures to shield
themselves from an early grave. And what better way to persevere your longevity
than to travel with a potentially life-saving supply of your own blood? As The Sun reported,
the royals are required to do just that. Although it may seem a bit creepy, these
blood bags are a vital precaution. If a royal ever requires an emergency transfusion while abroad,
it's convenient to have a fresh supply of their own blood already on hand. This weird protocol is
especially handy for traveling to locations where donor blood isn't readily available.
To mitigate the risk of a medical emergency, there are other rules
that globetrotting royals should follow. For instance, a royal ban on shellfish helps the
family dodge food poisoning. Additionally, it's been reported that King Charles III
travels with his own stash of alcohol as a precaution against assassination by poison.
In the event of a monarch's death, all eyes will be glued to the royal family.
"Buckingham Palace has announced the death of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II."
It's hard to bear the thought of losing a loved one, but the royals must be ready
for such an event because they're expected to lead England in a national period of mourning.
According to Express, to ensure they're prepared to honor a deceased family member,
the regals must always travel with black clothing.
This rule stems from a real-life event involving the late Queen Elizabeth II.
When a new monarch ascends the throne, it's almost always due to the tragic death of a
close family member. Queen Elizabeth II rose to power immediately after the passing of her father,
King George VI, in 1952. Although the King had suffered a streak of illnesses related
to lung cancer, his death was nonetheless unexpected. At the time of his death,
Elizabeth was deep in the backcountry of Kenya. Since Elizabeth was thousands of miles from home,
the grieving royal did not have a customary black dress on hand.
Fortunately, palace staff were able to hand-deliver a black dress to the new
sovereign as soon as her plane touched down on British soil. The moment showed Queen Elizabeth
stepping off the plane in a solemn, dignified outfit that conveyed her grief to the world.
If the concept of pigeon racing sounds baffling to you, allow us to explain. The gist is that
hobbyists known as pigeon trainers release their pigeons hundreds of miles away from home.
"Birds are a common sight flying through the metro skies here,
but some of those birds, they're on a mission."
The birds' instincts will guide them back — provided that the birds survive the
journey. When the pigeons return, trainers calculate the average speed of each bird,
and the fastest pigeon wins. Pigeon racing has also been majorly impactful during times
of war when pigeons were used as messengers. According to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association,
32 pigeons were awarded medals for their service during World War II.
The royal family's foray into pigeon racing began in 1886 when they received their first flock as a
gift from the King of Belgium. Royal curiosity for the sport grew into a serious passion,
and the palace soon established its own pigeon racing loft at the family's
Sandringham Estate. However, not everybody is impressed with this royal hobby. Animal rights
groups condemn pigeon racing as inhumane and have criticized the royal family for
taking part in it. In a statement against the sport, PETA UK alleged that as many
as 90% of racing pigeons do not return home safely during the grueling events.
For some of us, large gatherings can be quite overwhelming. But oversized soirees are no problem
for the monarchy, who have a set of protocols that make royal dinner parties as painless as possible.
For one thing, dinners are planned way ahead of time — sometimes up to a full year in advance.
Every element of a royal dinner is curated right down to the chairs, which are painstakingly placed
45 centimeters apart. Before festivities commence, the sovereign and their spouse
closely inspect the scene to ensure that every last detail is immaculate. Royal dinner guests
aren't expected to do anything besides kick back and enjoy the lavish dining experience.
At the royal dinner table, conversations follow a simple flow. The sovereign starts by chatting
up the person to their right, while the second course of the meal is spent interacting with
the guests on the sovereign's left side. This and other steadfast dining rules have
been observed by the regals since the 18th century. Another perk of dining
with the royals is that you never have to worry about that weird uncle going on
an unhinged political rant. That's because heavy and divisive topics — like politics,
sex, and religious matters — are not to be discussed at the royal dining table.
"Mr. President, my wife and I are delighted to welcome you to Buckingham Palace this evening."
If you're a fan of over-the-top birthday celebrations, try to contain your jealousy
when we tell you that sovereigns have not one, but two birthdays.
Why do our fair kings and queens need two birthdays, you may ask? The answer appears to be
quite simple: they just want to. The sovereign's bonus birthday is known as Trooping the Colour,
and it marks the day that the head of state celebrates their birthday with the British
public. The tradition was first instituted by King Charles II. Like many fall and winter
babies who've had their birthday plans spoiled by inclement weather, King Charles II yearned
to have a summer birthday soiree so he created one for himself. Thus, Trooping the Colour takes
place each year during the month of June. The tradition held strong with Queen Elizabeth II,
whose official birthday was April 21st, and it will continue with King Charles III.
In a celebration that would put any birthday bash to shame,
Trooping the Colour features an ensemble of 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians
all parading through the streets of London. It's also an opportunity to see the royals in person
as they ride on horseback or carriage. The day ends with a royal military flyover and
an illustrious appearance by the family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
"Oh look."
"He's having a good look and he clearly likes the fly past."
If you've seen Spencer — the 2021 psychological thriller — then you're already familiar with
the strange rule that royals must weigh themselves before and after the family
Christmas celebration. The unsettling nature of this tradition is captured early on in the
film when Princess Diana — played by Kristen Stewart — is coerced into sitting on an antique
scale. Never mind counting smiles, laughter, or compliments as a measure of Christmas cheer;
according to this supposed tradition, the royal family is expected to count pounds.
"We have to put on three pounds minimum before we leave to prove we enjoyed Christmas?"
Following the premiere of Spencer, viewers had a lot of questions about the bizarre tradition — and
for good reason. At best, the practice is totally invasive. Audiences were desperate to know whether
the scene was based on real events, or if it was just part of the murky, nightmarish tone of the
film. Cue Ingrid Seward, a royal expert and the editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine. Back in 2018,
Seward had addressed the royal Christmas tradition to Grazia Magazine. The interview
seemed to confirm that the royals actually do weigh themselves before and after Christmas.
Each year during the State Opening of Parliament,
one member of the public is in for a very strange day. That's because the royal family
takes a hostage during the event. This isn't the royal family's idea of a twisted prank — it's
actually a precaution to help ensure the family's safety during the proceedings.
For those on the other side of the pond, the Opening of Parliament is an event that
brings together all branches of parliament to introduce policies and legislation for the
upcoming year. Like any royal event, it involves a flashy royal procession and some traditional
monarchical relics. According to Historic Royal Palaces, the hostage-taking tradition
was prompted by the demise of King Charles I, who was executed in 1649 by supporters of parliament.
The hostage is usually a member of the Metropolitan Police. If anything
were to happen to the monarch during the Opening of Parliament,
it would be bad news for the hostage. No captive has been harmed so far, but plenty have gotten to
enjoy a bit of royal hospitality. One former hostage recalled his experience to the BBC:
"They don't actually lock me up, but they made it quite clear that I wasn't going anywhere."
There's no shortage of branches on the royal family tree. Although it may be difficult to
keep up with the royal bloodline, it's clear that the British royals have done quite a bit
of intermingling with their cousins. In fact, you might be surprised to find that
many of your favorite royal pairings share some common DNA. Queen Elizabeth II, for example,
was the third cousin of Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years. According to Insider,
the familial link between these monarchs is Queen Victoria. Prince Philip was the
great-great-grandson of Victoria by his maternal lineage. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was Victoria's
great-great-granddaughter through her paternal side.
It might seem unusual for cousins to marry, but British royals have been doing so for a very long
time. For the monarchy, it's not only normal but it's actually seen as favorable, especially for
diplomatic purposes. According to Reader's Digest, former spouses Princess Diana and King Charles
III were distant cousins — seventh cousins, once removed, to be exact. Prince William and Princess
Catherine are also distantly related. The royal "it" couple are eleventh cousins, once removed.