While a lot of people wish that they could live as a prince or princess, the truth is that there are a lot of rules that come with the title.
Sure, you might get to live in a palace and travel the world, but there are some sacrifices that come with the privilege.
Granted these rules may not sound so bad to you if it means you get to enjoy the luxuries of the royal family, but when you're a child you may not realize how lucky you have it.
As hard as it is to keep our non-royal children under control, there's a lot of responsibility hoisted on those young princes and princesses that their parents are required to enforce.
Here are some of the rules that royal children are required to follow.
1. Two heirs to the throne may not travel together.
With Prince Charles next in line to the throne, it would be against the rules to allow him to travel with his son William.
This extends down to William's son as well. William is not supposed to travel in the same airplane or vehicle as young Prince George, but he has received permission from the queen to do so while he's young.
It's suspected that when George reaches age 12 he will be forced to travel without his dad.
This is for a very morbid reason, in that they need to guarantee that should something horrible happen while traveling there remains an heir to the throne. They want to keep the direct heirs to throne as safe as possible, so separating them makes the most sense.
2. All royal babies are to be baptized in the same gown.
Queen Victoria was baptized in 1841 in a beautiful white gown, and that same garment has been passed down through the years to over 60 royal baptisms.
The gown was retired and replaced with a replica in 2004, but it remains tradition that every baby must wear that same gown.
Prince Louis just wore it for his baptism in July.
3. The boys are required to wear shorts.
We've all seen the pictures of Prince George's adorable collection of shorts, but the reason why he is rarely seen wearing pants is because it's a long standing tradition dating back to the old aristocracy rules.
It was seen as a silent class marker, and wearing pants when you were younger then eight years old would signify "suburban," according to etiquette expert William Hanson.
"Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England. Although times are (slowly) changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class "“ quite suburban. And no self-respecting aristo or royal would want to be considered suburban."
4. They are taught how to wave.
Learning how to wave is something that kids normally pick up when they are young, but they usually don't have to worry about such strict rules.
When you're a royal, you have to make sure you keep your hand straight and just twist at the wrist, making sure not to use your whole arm.
It's not the same enthusiastic wave that your non-royal kid would give you when they are excited, but there's a lot of waving involved when you're royal so I guess it saves their arms from getting tired.
5. They must learn several languages.
As royals, the children are expected to learn other languages given that one day they will be making public appearances in many places all over the world.
Both Harry and William were expected to learn a few different languages each, and now William's children are carrying on that tradition. Both George and Charlotte are currently learning Spanish.
Surely Harry's future child and William's youngest Louis will learn languages together as they grow.
6. They don't always get to keep their gifts.
When the royal family travels, they often receive gifts of all types. Whether it's games or stuffed animals, technically all gifts belong to the queen until she states otherwise.
Many of the toys are donated to charity, but occasionally she will allow one of her grandchildren keep the gift for themselves.
7. Curtsy and bow to the senior members of the family.
Starting by age five, the rules surrounding bowing and curtsying become much more important. They are required to show their respect to the queen and other senior members of their family as soon as they are old enough to understand that it's required.
Charlotte has already been showing off her curtsying skills though, long before she was expected to.
8. There is no baby-talk when it comes to a royal baby.
Manners are obviously very important to the royal family, and one way that they help enforce this with the kids is by speaking to them properly - no baby talk allowed.
They are supposed to use proper speech and teach their children to express themselves in an eloquent way.
9. They have a minimum of three names, but no last name
The royal family doesn't have an official last name, but they all have either three or four first and middle names.
When they go to school and require a last name, it's customary for the parents to assign one based on their title. For example. Prince George attends school under the name George Cambridge.
10. A new rule for the new generation: Express yourself.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with the Duke of Sussex have taken a strong interest in mental health, and because of that they've revealed they have been teaching their kids all about expressing their emotions.
"Catherine and I are clear that we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings," William said to CALM Magazine.
It makes sense, and will likely extend to Harry's future child, but the two young princes faced such a tragic moment in their young lives that impacted them drastically.
Understandably they had a lot of emotions to go through, and it would have been beneficial for them to have known how to voice their feelings better.
Source - Reader's Digest / Hello Magazine / Brightside / Cheat Sheet / Good Housekeeping / Harper's Bazaar
