12 Rules From Different Royal Families That Not Everyone Knows

Each monarchy has its own customs and its own rules of behavior, and this also involves the actions that are allowed or prohibited in the presence of the monarchs. Some protocols are well known, but that doesn’t mean they are less important or that they can be disrespected.

Thinking about it, the awesome.club gathered some curious data about the protocols established in different monarchies around the world so you know what you can and cannot do in the presence of a member of royalty.

Japanese princesses must renounce their titles when they marry non-royals. This has happened a few times, and one of the last to announce her decision was Princess Mako of Akishino, Emperor Naruhito’s niece. In 2017, she decided to marry a fellow university student.

The first six people in line to the British throne need the Queen’s approval when they decide to marry. Under British law, authorization must be completely formal and must be recorded in the Council’s books and issued under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom.

As soon as he took the throne, in 1999, King Mohammed VI began to give less importance to some protocols, such as kissing the hand, the official way of greeting him. The demand for this and other details became less so that he began to be seen as a more modern and more liberal monarch.

Unlike what happens in other monarchies, where some kind of reverence or sign of respect is usually required from members of royalty, according to the official website of the Belgian monarchy, when a person approaches to greet King Philip or some other member of the family real, it is common to happen just a handshake. Furthermore, even the female members of the family—and the Queen is no exception—can only be addressed as madame.

According to Thailand’s law against crimes against majesty, anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, queen or any other member of the royal family receives a prison sentence ranging from 3 to 15 years. This happens because, according to the Thai constitution, the monarchy is a sacred institution and the king should only be worshiped and venerated.

The monarchs of the royal house of Orange-Nassau are not crowned when they take over; instead, they take an oath and have an endowment ceremony. Despite this, during the ceremony, the crown of the Netherlands is placed on the so-called “credentials table”, which is next to the king, with other valuables.

Contrary to what usually happens in other monarchies, where most members are not authorized to use social networks, the kingdom of Jordan does not put obstacles in this regard, which is why the queen has an Instagram account. In it, Queen Rania, wife of King Abdullah II, publishes images of her participation in official events, as well as photos of her personal and family life.

As of 2019, the only grandchildren of King Charles XVI Gustaf of Sweden to receive the title “His Royal Highness” are Princess Victoria’s children: Princess Estela and Prince Oscar. This is a way of signaling that the Swedish crown is modernizing, since of all the grandchildren of the current king, only the children of the next queen are destined to carry out royal functions.

Although Greece has not had a monarchy since 1974, its last monarch, King Constantine II, continues to be addressed as “His Royal Highness”. This happens because, for the Greeks, titles are inherent in people.

According to Imperial Household law, the throne cannot be occupied by a woman because only men can succeed to it. This is why the imperial family is currently under threat, as it only has 18 members and many of them are women.

Unlike what usually happens with members of other monarchies, who are usually greeted with a handshake or sometimes even a kiss, Queen Elizabeth II can never be touched. However, this strict protocol has been broken a few times by celebrities and even heads of state.

As head of state, the Queen of England is prohibited from showing any political inclination or preference. That is, she cannot vote. However, despite this, it plays a very important role in ceremonies and in the relationships that the United Kingdom establishes with other countries.

Have you ever heard of these protocols? What are the aspects that most impress you about monarchies? And do you think they would work in our country?