How much of the information being disseminated about the Queen and her family is actually true? Photo / Getty Images
Every day we hear some pretty wild claims about the British royal family. Only some of them have a grain of truth.
Almost every day a new, outlandish claim about the peculiarities of the Queen and her family makes headlines.
From what the royals can wear, to what they are allowed to eat and do, we devour every skerrick of information that escapes those Palace gates.
But how much of what we hear is true?
We put two experts on the case to do a bit of myth-busting.
Let's call this a semi-myth. Around the time of the Duchess of Sussex's May wedding, stories circulated that she must curtsy to any senior royal she passes in the Palace.
That's not entirely true.
"Whether or not the Duchess of Sussex must curtsy totally depends on formality and setting," royal expert Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, told news.com.au.
"If it's in Buckingham Palace at a formal event, yes, she would curtsy. If she's just passing Prince Charles in their private home on a typical day, I don't think she would be expected to curtsy every time to his Royal Highness. He is, after all, family."
For the record, if she is at a formal event, Meghan Markle must curtsy to Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, and Duchess of Cambridge. She is also required to curtsy to "blood princesses" (for example, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice) but only if she's not in the company of Prince Harry. If her husband is in the room, the blood princesses must curtsy to Meghan.
It's utterly exhausting even without all that knee bending.
Oh dear.
During a public engagement in 2008, Prince Andrew jokingly told the press: "We're not allowed to play Monopoly at home. It gets too vicious."
It was a witticism that didn't quite translate a decade later, with countless tabloids rehashing the quote and taking it literally.
Rest assured, the royal family can pass go, and they can collect $200.
"That's a crazy rumour," royal historian and author Marlene Koenig told news.com.au.
"I absolutely think that's a myth. They play all sorts of games … if they want to play Monopoly, they could certainly play Monopoly."
If you're a dedicated royal fan, you're probably quite familiar with the "shorts only" rule that made news this year and supposedly governs what Prince George and Prince Louis can wear.
Only, there is no "shorts only" rule.
"What their children wear is totally personal preference for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge," Myka Meier told news.com.au.
"At the end of the day, there's no rule that (Princess Charlotte) has to wear a dress, and there's no rule that (Prince George) has to wear shorts.
"I imagine if Princess Charlotte wants to one day wear only trousers, I'm sure that's what she'll wear. That's mostly just a stylistic preference, there's no protocol."
While Paul Burrell, the former butler to Princess Diana, is strong in his belief that we'll never see Prince Charles become king, historian Marlene Koenig disagrees.
"Increasingly, Charles is having more of a role inside the Palace," the author of Queen Victoria's Descendants told news.com.au.
"The Queen has shed a number of patronages, she has cut back on events. William and Charles do a lot more investitures now … we're already seeing Charles taking on more responsibilities in preparation for that day when he wakes up and somebody tells him his mother has died."
Commentary that the royals are confined to the Palace, are inherently lonely, or are cut-off from popular culture is misguided, said Koenig.
"(Royals) do a lot of things that are not captured — they can sneak out and do things," Koenig said.
"They also reportedly have a cinema inside Buckingham Palace. There are benefits of being a royal too — being sent the new release movies and things like that."
In fact, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — Prince William and Kate — are renowned for quietly visiting local restaurants. If it weren't for their security detail, closely watching every move, their typical night out mightn't seem that unusual at all.
"Not one member of the royal family leaves the royal house without a personal protection officer," Koenig said.
"But if you've grown up with it, and you're raised with that person to protect you, it's just a part of life."
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