These 8 Royal Family "Rules" Are Total Myths

You might have heard that you can know if the Queen is in residence at Buckingham Palace by whether or not the Union Jack is flying. In reality, the opposite is true: if the Union Jack is flying at the palace, she's probably not home. The flag that actually indicates her presence is the Royal Standard. Ever since the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales, flag protocol has changed and, in times of national mourning such as a national tragedy or a significant royal death, the Union Jack is flown, regardless of the Queen's presence, and at half-staff.

Like many royal rules, this myth is at least partly based in reality, but it's not as rigid as most people think. While hugging the Queen is a no-go, shaking her hand (if she offers you her hand first!) is perfectly acceptable. Younger members of the royal family have broken with the no-touching tradition more often, and have been spotted hugging children or even the occasional fan!

The question of what Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall will be called once her husband Prince Charles is king has been a sticky subject for years. Because of delicate public opinion about Charles's marriage to his first wife, Diana (and the fact that Camilla was his mistress before she was his wife), the Palace's current stance is that Camilla will be called "Princess Consort" instead of "Queen Camilla." In reality, though, there's actually no rule prohibiting a second wife from being queen consort, and Charles has indicated he may choose to crown Camilla as queen after he succeeds to the throne.

While getting forms of address right for the royals is important, it's actually not correct to address any and all members of the family as "Your Royal Highness." Children of the monarch are entitled to this style, as are the wives of the monarch's sons. After that, though, it gets tricky: those in the direct line of succession (i.e. Prince William, Prince Harry, and Prince George) are entitled to the distinction, but for others, the Queen has to grant them the titles — and their parents have to agree.

This is why, for instance, Prince Andrew's daughters and Prince William's younger children are HRHs, but Prince Edward's children, as well as Princess Anne's children (including Zara Tindall), are not: none of them were automatically entitled to be called "Your Royal Highness," and both Prince Edward and Princess Anne declined the offer to make their children HRHs. This is how titles will work for Baby Sussex, too: he or she will only be addressed as "Royal Highness" if the Queen and the Sussexes agree.

This is another myth that's only half true. The Queen is not legally required to pay taxes on her private income, but she does actually pay them voluntarily. Similarly, Prince Charles voluntarily pays taxes on all his income, even on the Duchy of Cornwall which is legally exempt.

Nothing screams "royalty" more than a tiara, so it's natural to think that royal women would wear them all the time! But they're not actually allowed to: there are rules governing who can wear a tiara (and when). No one can wear a tiara during the daytime, and at evening events, only married royal women can wear one. That's why the Duchess of Cambridge was only seen wearing tiaras after her marriage, and even Princess Eugenie, a "princess of the blood," couldn't wear one until her wedding day.

The royal family has to follow the Queen's lead on pretty much everything, but do they really all have to ask her permission to get married? Not quite. Until recent years, the monarch did have to approve all royal marriages, but since 2013, only the first six in line to the throne have to get permission. That's why the Queen did have to issue official consent for Prince Harry's marriage to Meghan Markle, since he's currently sixth in line, but not for Princess Eugenie's marriage to Jack Brooksbank, since Eugenie is only ninth.

Because the Queen is not legally allowed to support specific political positions, the myth spread that it's taboo for royals in general to voice their opinions. While most senior royals do avoid taking political sides in a partisan manner, many do have causes they support and have expressed informal opinions about things like television and music.