There’s a good reason that Prince William gave his bride so much time to decide whether she wanted to back out of the whole becoming a princess game. It’s not nearly as much fun as it sounds.
Okay, some of it might be as much fun as it sounds. The fashion. The palaces. The title. And, of course, the marrying the man you’ve loved since you were in college part. But a lot of becoming a royal is giving up things that not-so-royals like us take for granted. Yahoo Shine compiled an interesting list of things Kate will be giving up. Some of them are obvious, others are unexpected but logical and some are just plain weird.
1. Kate won’t be “Kate” any more.
When Kate Middleton joins the House of Windsor this year, her official title will become ‘Her Royal Highness the Princess William of Wales’. Officially, that means she can only be publicly addressed as Catherine or Ma’am. Of course, we wish the House of Windsor luck convincing the press to start calling her Catherine. Never gonna happen.
2. Kate won’t be voting.
Technically, it’s not illegal, but since it would be considered showing a political bias, and the royals don’t do that, it won’t happen.
3. Kate also won’t be running for office.
See above. A Prime Minister who was also a Queen might violate the whole constitutional part of constitutional monarchy.
4. Kate won’t have any privacy.
This might be the toughest one. The notoriously aggressive British press are often blamed for the death of William’s mother, Diana, and they’re known for not giving an inch on anyone. The House of Windsor has thus far been very protective of their newest member, but any chink in the armor is already being exploited. The future princess has even been written up for potentially being too thin pre-wedding.
5. Kate won’t be playing Monopoly.
In 2008, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, mentioned an interesting tidbit about his family. Apparently they aren’t allowed to play Monopoly at home “because it gets too vicious.” This one is actually kind of sweet. It’s always kind of nice to see the normal family underneath all the titles and formal occasions, isn’t it?
6. Kate won’t be able to hold controversial opinions.
The royal family is consummately neutral. Always. If Kate has an opinion, it has to stay strictly private from now on.
7. Kate won’t be eat shellfish.
This is our favorite, for weirdness alone. Apparently the British Royal family doesn’t eat shellfish for fear of food poisoning. By, by lobster.
8. Kate won’t be working.
Or at least, she won’t be getting paid. She’ll be on a heavy schedule of public appearances though, so the future princes won’t exactly be hanging around eating bon-bons.
9. Kate can’t give autographs.
As a potential future counselor of state if William becomes king, Kate might eventually have to sign government papers and brings legislation into force in her husband’s place. That means she’s not allowed to sign anything that isn’t 100% official, for fear of her signature being copied and forged.
10 Kate won’t be finishing her dinner.
Well, at least she won’t if she doesn’t eat faster than her grandmother-in-law, aka The Queen. In Britain, if the Queen is finished with a meal, so are you.
