Strange Travel Rules The British Royals Abide By
Being a royal is more than just fancy gowns and luxury, it also comes with a lot of negatives. Of course, being part of the British royal family means living in a castle, having butlers and maids, not paying any bills, and wearing the finest jewels, but it also means being in the public eye (whether you want to be or not), paparazzi, and ridicule at every turn. Plus, the many rules they have to follow.
British royals are not allowed to run for office, or have any outspoken political views. When it comes to their personal lives, they must be granted permission before proposing marriage, have strict beauty rules, and are forbidden to eat shellfish. Many of the royal rules, though, surround travel. With royals constantly traveling around the world, whether for work or vacation, the monarchy has set a pretty strict regime for how they travel. All royals must pack duplicates of their outfits and two heirs can never travel together. Beyond those though, there are some strange travel rules they must also abide by.
They pack supplies of their own blood
Quite possibly the strangest rule the royals have is that whenever they travel, they must make sure to pack supplies of their own blood along with them. Looking through their luggage, you will likely find a blood bag, which is filled with their blood in case of an emergency. Royals travel all over the world, often to third world countries where the blood supply is low. If an emergency were to happen and a blood transfusion is needed, the royals are ready with their own supply of blood.
Not only that, they also travel with a doctor who can do the transfusion, as well as handle other medical emergencies if needed. According to Gordon Rayner, who accompanied the queen on over 20 tours to other countries, she never went anywhere without a team of medical experts, who carried any necessities she may need, via The Telegraph. Second in line to the throne also has a team, albeit smaller than the head monarch, while subsequent royals are assigned doctors in the country they are visiting, rather than traveling with one.
They BYOB (Bring Your Own Booze)
It's no secret that the royal family loves a good drink. Before the queen died, she was known for her daily drinking schedule, including a gin before lunch. Other royals still follow the late queen's love for a stiff one, so much so that some of them do not leave their quarters without their favorite drinks on hand.
Rayner, who spilled the tea about traveling with the royals for two decades, revealed to Express that King Charles and Queen Camilla also love a good drink and do not leave the country without their own supply of red wine for the queen and a gin and tonic for the king. And while it's no secret that the royals like to drink, the real reason they do this is to ensure that everything they drink is safe and does not have the potential to be spiked or altered in any way.
They always pack a black outfit
The most morbid of their rules, even more so than the bag of blood they carry around, is the fact that royals must pack an all-black outfit anytime they leave the confines of their home. According to The Sun, there is a good yet sad reason for this. Back in 1952, the queen and Prince Phillip were abroad doing a royal tour in Kenya when the queen's father died. Of course, the queen and the prince headed back home immediately, but since the queen did not pack a black outfit, she was forced to stay on the plane until someone could fetch her a black dress. It was only when she had changed that she was allowed to leave the plane and join her family to mourn her father.
Since then, all royals are required to pack an all-black outfit — the required attire after a royal death — in case a death occurs while they are traveling.
They color-code their luggage
If you have a big family or travel with kids, you have likely used the color-coded luggage tag trick to keep your family organized and make it easier to find your checked baggage on the conveyor belt. And while the royal family may not have to deal with standing around post-flight waiting for their bags, they do need to ensure they are kept organized and bags aren't mixed up between family members.
According to Express, the late queen was always given a large yellow luggage tag, as is Kate Middleton. The princes get red while Princess Anne is assigned green and Prince George gets blue. And while the royals don't need to put their address or phone numbers on their luggage tags (we all know where they live), they do put their names. In fact, the queen had "THE QUEEN" on her yellow tags everywhere she traveled so her luggage was always kept with her.
They travel with an entourage
Travel is a huge part of being a royal and a huge part of the royal budget. According to Hello!, their travel budgets can be upwards of six figures and that doesn't just include their flights. Whether they travel commercial or private, the royal family never flies without a full entourage. Of course, a royal doctor is always on hand, but in addition to him, the royals also usually fly with press, bodyguards, secretaries, nannies, and professional stylists.
The Queen was known to fly with a whopping 34 people by her side. Her children also fly with entourages, although not quite as big, especially since they often fly commercial. Now that Charles the III has been crowned king, there may be a whole new set of rules put in place, especially since it has been reported that the King is far pickier about his air travel than other royals.