Royal women reportedly have to follow this extremely strict rule

Does anyone else feel like Mia Thermopolis?

Meghan Markle Kate Middleton
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Being a royal entitles you to certain privileges – a designer wardrobe, personal chefs and if you’re monarch, staff members employed to break in your shoes.

But it doesn’t come without its downsides too, subjecting members to a life of obligation and rules, with an extremely large royal rulebook to follow.

From when Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis should start bowing to the monarch to a ban on talking politics and no shellfish while on royal tours, there are too many to keep track of.

Particularly when it comes to beauty routines, with royal women breaking one rule on the regular.

It's hardly surprising therefore that Meghan Markle reportedly had to undergo 'princess lessons' to learn everything about acclimatising to being a royal, from how to hold tea cups to understanding the table settings - throwback to that famous Pretty Woman scene.

This week, it was a different royal rule that resurfaced, and unsurprisingly it has got everyone talking.

Hint: it's all about descending staircases. 

Getty images
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Yes, this is not a drill. Along with not wearing trousers and sitting at a certain regal angle, royal women must also perfect the way they walk down stairs, taught to descend a staircase gracefully.

According to reports, male royal family members must give their wives a helping hand as they descend staircases, as the female royals must not bow their heads, instead instructed to keep their chins parallel to the ground, pointing their toes as they walk.

Getty Images

And what about their hands? Well, it there's a banister, they may apparently rest their hand on it, but in the absence of a banister, they must keep their hands at their sides.

This sounds impossible - yet another reason we couldn't be royals!

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.