The Royal Rules Children Can Break: From Royal Ascot to Wimbledon and Palace Dinners

Royal life comes with a long list of traditions, protocols and unwritten rules. Some are so firmly established that even senior members of the family are expected to follow them.

Yet when it comes to children, the rules can look rather different.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have occasionally been given freedoms that would not normally be available to other members of the royal family. Young royals can be allowed into places where children are usually excluded, travel with family members despite succession concerns and skip some of the most formal palace occasions.

Over the years, the approach has become more relaxed. Some of the clearest examples can be found at Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, official dinners and even when members of the family travel by air.

Zara Tindall was allowed into Royal Ascot at just eight

Royal Ascot once had a particularly strict approach to children. Under-18s were not permitted to attend, making the presence of a young member of the royal family especially unusual.

Queen Elizabeth II made an exception for her granddaughter Zara Phillips, now Zara Tindall, in 1989.

Zara was only eight when she accompanied her mother, Princess Anne, to Royal Ascot that year. Her passion for horses had already become apparent, following the equestrian interests shared by both her mother and grandmother. The Queen agreed to waive the restriction so Zara could attend.

She was the only child permitted to attend Royal Ascot that year.

The rules have since changed. Children and teenagers can now attend the racecourse, although during Royal Ascot those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Zara’s appearance in 1989 therefore stands as an early example of a royal child being given an exception to a rule that applied to everyone else.

Wimbledon has its own exception for royal children

The Royal Box at Wimbledon operates under strict rules, particularly because space is limited and invitations are highly sought after.

Children are generally not invited because their places could otherwise be given to notable guests, including tennis figures, politicians and people who have contributed to the sport. There is, however, a specific exception for children of the royal family.

That distinction became particularly clear in 1999.

The Duchess of Kent, a devoted tennis fan, had asked whether she could bring a young guest into the Royal Box. The request was refused because the child was not a member of the royal family.

The issue became public after John Curry, then chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, wrote to the Duchess. He subsequently issued a statement expressing regret for any unintended offence while reaffirming the club’s policy: because seats in the Royal Box were in such demand, children were not invited unless they were royal family members.

That rule helps explain why appearances by Prince George and Princess Charlotte in the Royal Box have been treated differently.

George was eight when he attended the Wimbledon men’s singles final with Prince William and Princess Kate, sitting between his parents. The occasion saw him watch Novak Djokovic face Nick Kyrgios.

Charlotte has also been welcomed into the Royal Box, reflecting the specific exception made for royal children.

The arrangement remains unusual when compared with the restrictions placed on other children. Wimbledon has long maintained a carefully controlled Royal Box because of the limited number of seats and the range of guests invited to occupy them.

For George and Charlotte, however, their status within the royal family means the usual restriction does not apply.

The rule about heirs travelling together

Perhaps one of the more serious traditions concerns air travel.

There has long been an unwritten royal convention that two heirs to the throne should not travel together on the same aircraft. The reasoning is straightforward: if an aircraft accident were to occur, the monarchy could potentially lose two people in the line of succession at the same time.

That creates a practical problem for Prince William and his family.

William is the heir to King Charles III, while his eldest son, Prince George, is next in line after him. Under the traditional approach, the two would therefore be expected to travel separately.

Young children, however, have often been treated differently.

Travelling internationally with small children while keeping family members on separate aircraft can create obvious logistical difficulties. Queen Elizabeth II was therefore said to have waived the convention for William and Kate when their children were young, allowing the family to travel together on overseas tours.

The expectation may change as George grows older and assumes a more prominent position within the succession. The principle behind the rule remains one of protecting the future of the monarchy rather than governing the everyday movements of young children.

It is another example of how age and circumstance can determine whether an established royal convention is strictly applied.

Why George, Charlotte and Louis do not normally attend formal royal dinners

Some of the most formal royal occasions are also ones the youngest members of the family are generally free to miss.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis do not normally sit alongside their parents at state dinners and formal banquets. Instead, royal children have traditionally eaten separately with their nannies until they are considered old enough to behave appropriately at the formal dining table.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana, has previously explained the reasoning behind the arrangement.

He said royal children remained in the nursery during meals until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the table. The idea was to teach them the manners and conversational skills expected at formal royal gatherings before allowing them to join the adults.

McGrady explained that the children were not simply placed at the main table while they were still very young. Instead, they ate with their nannies and gradually learned how to behave during formal meals.

The tradition could even extend to major family celebrations.

According to McGrady, royal children ate in the nursery during Christmas meals as well, with the nannies responsible for their meals and helping them develop their table manners.

For George, Charlotte and Louis, this means that some of the most ceremonious occasions attended by their parents do not necessarily involve the children sitting at the same table.

It also reflects a longstanding feature of royal childhood: etiquette was traditionally taught gradually, rather than expecting a very young child to immediately master the behaviour required at a formal state dinner.

Bowing and curtsying can wait

Royal protocol also dictates how members of the family greet the monarch.

Adults are expected to bow or curtsy when meeting the King or Queen, depending on the circumstances. Children, however, are generally given more freedom because of their age.

That does not mean royal children never learn the practice. Historically, court etiquette was introduced during childhood, with parents, nannies and governesses teaching young royals how to behave in formal settings.

The expectation is simply less rigid while they are young.

Zara Tindall, for example, has been photographed performing a curtsy when greeting her uncle, King Charles III. For younger children, however, there is generally more latitude as they learn the conventions of royal life.

A childhood with fewer rules, for now

The British royal family may be known for protocol, but the experience of growing up within it has never been quite as rigid as the formal ceremonies might suggest.

The examples of Zara Tindall at Royal Ascot, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Wimbledon, the rules surrounding royal travel and the arrangements for formal dinners all show the same pattern.

Certain traditions exist for practical or ceremonial reasons, but children have often been given room to grow into them.

For George, Charlotte and Louis, that flexibility is particularly visible. They can appear alongside senior royals at major national events while still being shielded from some of the strictest expectations placed on adult members of the family.

Their childhood therefore occupies an unusual space within royal protocol: close enough to the formal world of the monarchy to take part in its most important occasions, but young enough that many of its strictest rules can still be softened.