10 Everyday Things Kate Middleton Is Not Allowed to Do as the Princess of Wales
Kate Middleton received the title of Princess of Wales from King Charles III when he ascended to the throne. As the wife of the heir, Prince William, Kate is now one of the most senior royals in The Firm. The only woman in the family with a higher position is the queen consort, Camilla Parker Bowles.
With this title change and an even more senior position in the family, insiders say that Kate wants to “look to the future as she creates her own path.” However, the life of a princess is a strict one. Here are 10 everyday things that Kate Middleton cannot do as the Princess of Wales.
1. Kate Middleton can’t vote in political elections
The members of the royal family are not allowed to share their political opinions with the public, and they must remain neutral in the affairs of the British government. By convention, the Princess of Wales is forbidden from going to the ballot box for any political election.
Members of the royal family are also banned from running for political office, as Prince Harry noted when he moved to the United States ahead of the 2020 Presidential election.
“But many of you may not know that I haven’t been able to vote in the UK my entire life,” Harry said, per The UK Independent.
2. No selfies with the Princess of Wales
Working royals often meet with members of the public while performing their duties, and they definitely cross paths with excited fans who want selfies. However, a handshake and greeting is all royal fans should expect when meeting Kate Middleton, or any other royal. Snapping a selfie with the princess isn’t allowed.
As royal commentator Victoria Arbiter explained to Insider; “Royals would always rather have a personal interaction than have people clamoring for selfies”.
3. No autographs, either
Excited fans who would settle for an autograph over a selfie with the princess will also be disappointed. Royals are not supposed to sign autographs — even though they get asked frequently — because of the risk of copies and forgeries.
Under the rules of the crown, Kate can only sign official documents previously authorized by the sovereign.
4. Kate Middleton can’t have her own social media accounts
The Princess of Wales is an avid photographer who loves taking photos of her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. But unlike other 40-something moms, Kate is not allowed to have her own social media accounts to share images and videos from her everyday life, or anything else she’d like to post.
Instead, Kate and William share joint social media accounts that are managed by their staff. Everything the world sees is a highly-crafted narrative from the palace PR office.
5. The Princess of Wales can’t earn a paycheck
This one probably comes as no surprise, considering the Duke and Duchess of Sussex famously left the royal family to become financially independent. Senior working members of the royal family like Kate are not allowed to profit from their work or earn a paycheck of any kind.
Instead of earning extra cash by licensing the photos she takes for profit, Kate’s work is released through official palace channels and she doesn’t earn a dime.
6. Kate Middleton can’t eat shellfish
The Princess of Wales is obviously very athletic and fit and benefits from the royal chefs who make her healthy meals everyday. However, Kate and other members of the royal family are not allowed to eat shellfish because of the risk of food poisoning.
“It is a very sensible move to abandon having seafood when out and about on public duties. We don’t want a member of the Royal family having a serious reaction to food poisoning, especially if she is on an overseas tour,” royal butler Grant Harold explained to Woman & Home magazine.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, there were even more food rules at Buckingham Palace. Former royal chef Darren McGrady says they could “never serve anything with garlic or too much onions,” and “no potatoes, rice, or pasta for dinner.”
King Charles also made a palace menu change in 2008 when he banned the French dish foie gras over concerns for animal welfare.
7. She must follow the ‘stop eating’ rule
Speaking of food, there’s another strange rule that Kate must follow — or anyone who eats with the sovereign, for that matter. When the king decides he is done with his meal, everyone else at the table must follow and stop eating.
This was a rule that Queen Elizabeth was very aware of, and she showed it on at least one occasion. Per Hello! Magazine, former royal butler Paul Burrell recalled the time a guest kept piling fruit onto his plate during dessert because he didn’t notice the queen had finished her meal.
When he finally did notice, he was horrified. But the queen just took a sip of her drink to keep him from feeling so awkward.
8. The Princess of Wales can’t go to bed when she wants
This rule may have changed since the days of the previous Princess of Wales, Kate’s late mother-in-law Princess Diana, and Queen Elizabeth. However, we thought we would mention it because this was a rule we didn’t expect.
The former private secretary to the queen, Sir William Heseltine, wrote in his book The Royals in Australia that it was considered very bad etiquette to go to bed before Her Majesty.
“Nobody felt it right to go to bed before the Queen did,” Heseltine wrote. “For Diana the long royal evenings were agony. There’d be an hour or so in the sitting room of everyone sitting around making conversation. And Diana was driven to such extremes that she’d excuse herself and go to bed, which was thought to be rather bad form, going to bed before the Queen.”
9. No Monopoly for the princess
Kate has a reputation for being quite competitive, but not when it comes to the board game Monopoly. According to The Telegraph, royals are not allowed to play Monopoly because of a rule from the late queen. She felt the game “gets too vicious,” so she banned it from the palace.
10. Kate Middleton can’t pack on the PDA with Prince William
Royal fans witnessed Kate and William share a kiss on the palace balcony on their wedding day in April 2011. But since then, the amount of PDA the couple has shared has been almost zero. As a general rule, public displays of affection are looked down upon in the royal family.
