The Strangest Things Queen Elizabeth Banned For Royals During Her Reign

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

The royals are a quirky bunch. They're wrapped up in mysterious protocols and age-old traditions, many of which us mere mortals struggle to comprehend. As it turns out, however, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly made some rules of her own that the rest of The Firm had to adhere to, and while some of them make sense, others are pretty odd. The queen had plenty of power — not in a political sense, but in other ways. For instance, she didn't just rule over her family; she also ruled over British sea life and swans. Thanks to a statute implemented by King Edward II in 1324, Her Majesty owned all of the dolphins, whales, and sturgeons residing in U.K. waters. 

Unmarked swans inhabiting open water sources were also under her ownership. The queen even had a swan warden who would give the swans in the River Thames an annual checkup while conducting a census to keep an eye on their population. This may sound strange, because it is, but it's also a testament to the uncanny power she wielded, a power that extended to her family members and dictated what they could and could not do. From dietary restrictions to stipulating which words they're allowed to use, the late queen certainly had a lot of influence. 

It also meant she could break the rules if she wanted to. Notably, Her Majesty ran interference to ensure that Prince William's kids all got the royal title of prince and princess, even though, historically, they weren't automatically bestowed upon the monarch's great-grandchildren. Still, while she sometimes used her power to benefit certain family members, the long-reigning monarch also frequently wielded it to ban things she deemed unbecoming of a royal.

Being a member of the royal family might mean that you have access to the best of everything, but there's one small caveat. Reportedly, there were certain foods Queen Elizabeth II didn't approve of, and she summarily had them taken off the menu. Darren McGrady, who used to be the royals' chef, revealed all in a 2017 Marie Claire interview, dishing to the outlet that Her Majesty detested garlic, so often no one else at the table was allowed to have it either. "She hated the smell of it, she hated the taste of it," McGrady shared. During a 2025 chat with Heart Bingo (via Express), McGrady clarified that, despite Her Majesty loathing garlic, it wasn't strictly banned as some have claimed. 

"There weren't banned foods, but [Queen Elizabeth] didn't like garlic or strong onions, viewing them as antisocial," he said, adding that these ingredients were kept out of her food in particular. Prince Philip, however, was apparently a garlic lover if ever there was one, and would even go as far as serving it in the food at the dinner parties he hosted. We suppose this might have been one of those instances where a royal broke a rule and things got dramatic, because we're pretty sure Her Majesty did not much enjoy Philip's company after such a night out. 

Queen Camilla and her husband, King Charles III, appear to have continued to adhere to the queen's strict no-garlic rule. Camilla famously told "MasterChef Australia" in 2018 that the couple steers well clear of it because no one wants to be having a conversation with a royal whose breath stinks. "Garlic is a no-no," Camilla confirmed, per People. "You always have to lay off the garlic."

There's some conflicting reports about whether or not Queen Elizabeth II actually banned shellfish from the menu, but it's been widely reported that it's one of the foods royals never eat because you're more likely to get food poisoning from it than most other foods. Former royal butler, Grant Harrold, asserted to The Mirror that the last thing a royal needs while performing public duties is a nasty stomach bug. "It is a very sensible move to abandon having seafood when out and about on public duties," he noted. 

However, former royal chef Darren McGrady disputed this claim, telling Heart Bingo (via Express) that the queen often indulged in shellfish — even while traveling. "We regularly cooked scallops and shrimp for her," he shared. King Charles III seemed to prove McGrady right when he and Queen Camilla indulged in some shellfish during the 2013 Whitstable Oyster Festival (see above).  

Still, it's worth noting that a good reason for The Firm to stay away from shellfish is that it's a pretty common allergen. About 2% of people in the United States are allergic (roughly 6 million people), per the Cleveland Clinic. So if you're a royal who's out and about and indulging in shellfish for the first time, it might be worth reconsidering, lest you end up in the hospital when you should be performing public duties. 

You'll never hear the royals say that they need to go to the toilet, and that's not because they're superhumans who don't have to use the bathroom; it's because Queen Elizabeth II banned the word "toilet" from the royal vocabulary. Instead, members of her family are supposed to refer to it as the "lavatory" or even the "loo." Speaking to popular Italian talk show "La Vita in Diretta," in 2020, Italian commentator Marina Viro noted that, not only is the word "toilet" entirely off-limits, Her Majesty also banned a slew of other words in an attempt to keep the royal family sounding, well, royal. "These words would be too banal, not very chic, unpronounceable at court," Viro explained, per Express. 

Forbidden words included "couch" (it's a sofa, people!) and "courtyard" (the queen preferred the word "terrace"). You also don't get to call the royals "posh" or tell them that their "perfume" smells great. Rather, you'd tell them their "scent" is nice. Er, all right then. Something else to keep in mind if you're ever in royal company is that the term "pardon" is off-limits. While we would expect this rather formal term to be preferred, the queen pulled a complete 180 by designating "excuse me" or even just "sorry" as more acceptable. And when you address your parents? It's "mummy" and "daddy," not the formal-sounding "mother" and "father" one would expect. Just truly mind-boggling stuff.

Queen Elizabeth II was known for her stoicism, and it appears she expected the rest of The Firm to exhibit it as well, even when they engaged in friendly family board games. Unfortunately, a certain game brought out the worst in them, and the queen swiftly banned it as a result. To no one's surprise, the game that set royal tempers flaring was none other than the popular real-estate board game, Monopoly. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor once let slip why the royal family isn't allowed to play Monopoly during a 2008 visit to a building society in Leeds. His hosts gifted him the board game, and the former prince politely declined, noting that the family steered clear of it on Her Majesty's orders. 

"We're not allowed to play Monopoly at home. It gets too vicious," Andrew disclosed, as reported by Express. Prince William revealed in a 2021 interview with Royal Marsden's Hospital Radio that he plays Monopoly with his kids, but he also slyly acknowledged, "Some people get quite cross when they lose." It's been rumored that the queen preferred less controversial games, and favored charades in particular, but something even avid royalists might not be aware of is that Her Majesty absolutely loved a good Wii session. Her obsession started after Princess Catherine gifted William a Wii for Christmas. 

The queen took a keen interest in it, and William soon found himself having to fight his gran for the console. "She thought the Nintendo looked tremendous fun and begged to join in," a palace source told People (via The Mirror). "She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural." The insider added that Her Majesty "showed all the signs of becoming a Nintendo addict."

Queen Elizabeth II called the shots in her various households, and at times, she definitely used it to her advantage. The beloved monarch reportedly mandated that vacuuming before 8 a.m. was strictly prohibited. While this largely affected royal staffers rather than family members, we suspect it could have been rather annoying at times for members of the royal household not to be able to quickly run around with the vacuum to clean up an early morning mess — especially those with young children. Royal author Gyles Brandreth claimed in his book, "Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait," that she liked slow mornings, only starting her workday at 10 a.m. 

We assume that, at this point, vacuuming at her residence was allowed. Buckingham Palace is an enormous building, and simply imagining having to sweep its 775 rooms instead of being allowed to use a vacuum is enough to make anyone run in the opposite direction. A documentary taking a look at those who work at the palace, entitled "Royal Servants," detailed how, "Cleaners sweep carpets, lest royal ears are offended by vacuum cleaners. The best servant is one that is neither seen nor heard," per MyLondon.

Obviously no one wants to be woken up by a noisy vacuum, so perhaps the queen simply preferred her quiet mornings to remain quiet. For the sake of all royal servants, we hope Brandreth was correct in his assertion that vacuuming was only banned early in the morning, and not a permanent taboo. Sweeping 775 rooms would take forever.