Unusual Xmas rules royals have to follow - including George's separate dinner
If there is one time of year when we are reminded that the Royal Family is really not like the rest of us, it's the Christmas season and all the well-known and curious royal traditions that come with it.
This list of things that the Windsor's are banned from doing during the festive period is, for the most part, pretty unusual.
However, there is one in particular that families up and down the country can likely relate to - because it's long been enforced to stop any "vicious" family arguments from springing up and getting in the way of the festivities.
The way the late Queen managed to limit any family arguments during her tenure as monarch and head of the family was by banning one board game outright: Monopoly. This was because things simply became "too vicious" amongst the family whenever they played.
Prince Andrew - long understood to be the late Queen's favourite child - showed how strictly this ban was enforced during an engagement all the way back in 2008 when he visited Leeds Building Society's HQ. and was offered the game as a token of his trip, to which he replied: "we are not allowed to play Monopoly at home" and declined to accept it. When your mother is the monarch, it seems that what she says goes.
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Another thing the Royal Family is banned from doing during the festive season is watching television - although they all get together to watch the annual televised Christmas message from the monarch. Beyond that, slouching on the sofa and enjoying Christmas movies is strictly off the table.
In a strict and unusual rule that seemingly demonstrates the rigidity of royal protocol, the royal youngsters are banned from joining the adults for their Christmas meal. We aren't just talking a kid's table, they eat in a completely different room.
According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, there is a "Victorian" approach to the children's meals, and he said to Hello Magazine: "The children always ate in the nursery until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table," adding that "for the Queen, there was never a case of putting a high chair at the table". So the little ones like Prince George will likely not be enjoying their Christmas dinner with the senior royals yet.
The royals are also reportedly banned from going to bed before King Charles, so if he decides to stay up late one Christmas, they all have to remain there until he decides to make his exit - another example of the strict hierarchy that the Royal Family is based upon.
One quirky thing that the royals have banned at Christmas shines a light on what they are really like as a family behind closed doors: lavish gifts are strictly forbidden. Instead, the royals gift each other novelty joke presents or something homemade. For instance, Kate reportedly gave the Queen homemade chutney during her first Christmas after her wedding, once she was an official member of the family.
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