Royal Rules Don’t Actually Exist in the Royal Fam, According to Expert: ‘There Is No Etiquette Book’

When it comes to royal family etiquette, we often imagine the many rules that British royals have to follow, from PDA being frowned upon to autographs or selfies being forbidden. However, according to etiquette expert, William Hanson, who was the featured guest on the latest episode of Royally Obsessed, these “royal rules” don't actually exist.

Hanson, who recently served as an etiquette advisor on the Prime Video rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue (which we gave 4.5 stars here at PureWow, btw), chatted with co-hosts Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie about his knowledge of the British royal family.

About 34 minutes into the podcast, Fiorito asked Hanson about the reality of royal “protocol,” given that this has become a buzzword in the press recently.

“Protocol is...now a bit of a dirty word, which is a great shame because actually what protocol is—it's event management, generally,” Hanson said. “We all know that there is no etiquette book or etiquette rule within the royal household.”

Hanson clarified that there is really only a convention, saying, “It's not a protocol rule, it's just convention that has become adopted.”

Hanson used the late Queen Elizabeth II as an example, saying, “We know with certain things, Queen Elizabeth had a preference for people to wear certain-colored tights, or wear tights full stop, or wear a hat, etc. But there was no hard-and-fast rule.”

Of course, while these may just be conventions, there are certain rules outside of etiquette that the royals do have to follow, whether it has to do with making their own money, or getting to vote.

We can't wait to see how these conventions continue to evolve within the royal family in the years to come.

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