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.

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.

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.