Really Weird Things About The Royal Family

Family secrets, strange traditions, and bizarre rituals are the standard for most families. After all, the things that make you and your relatives seem weird can also bring you closer together. Plus, many family quirks end up becoming cherished memories later in life. When BuzzFeed asked readers to share their strange family stories, the responses were priceless. One person revealed that their family keeps a rubber chicken hidden in the kitchen. Another said, "In my family, when cutting the birthday cake, you have to scream as loud as you can when the knife hits the plate." These families are living proof that the world is chock full of oddballs.

If your family is particularly kooky, you should know that you're in good company, because, as it turns out, Britain's royal family just might be the weirdest bunch on the planet. While the royals do their best to appear flawless and uncontroversial at all times, their wacky rules and strange traditions prove that they're nonetheless human. If the royal family can let their freak flag fly, then so can you.

Despite all of their idiosyncrasies, these strange revelations will remind you that the royals are anything but relatable. So, strap yourselves in because it's about to get royally weird.

The royal family is known for their polite ways, so it's no surprise that this gracious bunch is required to accept any and all gifts. When it comes to the monarchy, gift-giving is no easy task. After all, the dynasty already has all of the riches they could ever want. Plus, thanks to a 700-year-old statute, they even own all of the sturgeons, porpoises, whales, and dolphins in British waters (via Travel + Leisure). This begs the question: What do you get for the family that has it all?

Turns out, the royal family has received a lot of heartfelt and personal gifts from the public. Admirers have showered them with some truly unique presents, including ketchup samples, boxes of mangoes, and a rug (via The Royal Family). Britain's allies also go all-out with their royal gift-giving. According to the Royal Collection Trust, Queen Elizabeth II received an assortment of extravagant foreign gifts during her reign, including two hippopotami from Liberia, a Nile crocodile from the Berending People of Gambia, and an elephant from Cameroon. All of these creatures found permanent homes at the London Zoo.

Despite the family's graciousness, some gifts do remain off-limits. For example, the board game Monopoly is a no-go with the royals. In 2008, Prince Andrew reportedly spilled the beans about this strange rule, telling The Telegraph that Monopoly is banned from palace game nights because the competition gets "too vicious" between family members.

In the event of a monarch's death, all eyes will be glued to the royal family. 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. To ensure they're prepared to honor a deceased family member, the regals must always travel with black clothing (via Express). 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 (via Time Magazine). 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 (via Harper's Bazaar). The moment — which was depicted on Netflix's "The Crown" — showed Queen Elizabeth stepping off the plane in a solemn, dignified outfit that conveyed her grief to the world.

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 (via The Royal Family). 

Every element of a royal dinner is curated right down to the chairs, which are painstakingly placed 45 centimeters apart (via Express). 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 (via South China Morning Post). 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.

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. In the scene, Diana recalls that guests have to put on a minimum of three pounds before the end of the festivities. 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 (via The Sun).

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, if not deeply triggering. 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.

As bastions of politeness and decency, the royals are expected to speak with the utmost grace. This means that you likely won't hear the monarchs dropping any dirty words. Curiously, though, curses aren't the only words on the royal family's blacklist. In fact, there's a medley of seemingly normal words that are forbidden to pass through royal lips. Since many of us use these words every day, we'd all be considered potty months by the monarchy's standards.

No self-respecting royal would dare utter the word "toilet." According to Express, Queen Elizabeth II considered the word to be totally unbecoming, so the terms "loo" and "lavatory" have been adopted by the monarchy, instead. If you want to talk like a royal, forget about using the word "couch." According to Reader's Digest, our snobby sovereigns believe that couches are something you'd only find in the homes of the lower class. In the palace, they sit on "sofas" instead. "Perfume" is another word that the royal family snubs their noses at. Instead, the regals would advise you to say "scent."