From Black Mourning Clothes to Bags of Blood, the Royal Family Has a Handful of Rules to Follow While on Royal Tours

King Charles and Queen Camilla are on the back end of their nine-day visit to Australia and Samoa, which kicked off Oct. 18 and ends Oct. 26

Royal tours are meticulously planned efforts — right down to rules royals themselves must follow.

The most recent royal tour is underway, as King Charles and Queen Camilla kicked off their visit to both Australia and Samoa on Friday, Oct. 18, spending six days Down Under before heading to Samoa on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The tour — especially significant as it marks the King’s first tour of this size and scale since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year — is set to wrap up on Saturday, Oct. 26.

When it comes to tour protocol, here are a few standout rules all royals must follow.

Black Outfits Are a Required Item on the Packing List

Queen Elizabeth was famously on a royal tour herself, Kenya specifically, alongside husband Prince Philip on Feb. 6, 1952, when word arrived that her beloved father, King George VI, had died unexpectedly — making her the new monarch.

The royal, just 25 at the time, had no mourning clothes with her, “and as a result, she wasn’t allowed to be photographed until a suitable outfit had been brought to her,” according to the Mirror.

In an effort to make sure that never happens again, members of the royal family must pack a black outfit with them when going on tour in the event that someone should die when they’re away. In 1992, when Princess Diana’s father died, the late Princess of Wales was on a skiing holiday with her husband, then-Prince Charles. They quickly returned to the U.K. — and were photographed in mourning clothes when they did so.

Changing Clothes on the Plane

In a similar vein, members of the royal family change clothes while in flight to look put together and polished on arrival — where photographers are always waiting.

“Last minute briefings are given on the plane, and the royals will change out of traveling clothes into their outfits at the last minute to avoid wrinkling or spills,” royal family biographer Marcia Moody told Town & Country.

Try to Fly British Airways

This rule makes sense, as British Airways is the U.K.’s flagship airline — but flying BA isn’t always possible. For example, when the current Prince and Princess of Wales — then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — flew to Pakistan in 2019 for a royal visit, they flew in an RAF jet for security reasons.

The Mirror points out that this rule is reserved for royal tours and official business — “for holidays, royals are fine to fly with whichever airline they desire if they choose to fly commercially,” according to the outlet.

Undergo a Crash Course on the Country You’re Visiting

Members of the royal family represent the U.K. all the time, but especially when on a royal tour. Royals are expected to learn basic greetings in each country’s native language before visiting — as King Charles has been doing with aplomb in Samoa — and “internal palace aides will always be on hand to prepare each royal before an important visit,” etiquette expert Myka Meier told Reader’s Digest.

“It is the correct protocol to practice the etiquette of the country or culture you are visiting in order to show respect, so each royal knows how to make the best first impression,” she added.

Practice Diplomatic Dressing and Fashion Diplomacy

Sometimes royals say everything without uttering a word — and those messages are often sent through clothing. Many times, women of the royal family will wear designers that hail from the country they are visiting, and both men and women make deliberate efforts to honor and respect the cultures of wherever they’re headed.

“Adhering to dress codes means that for some countries hemlines, sleeve lengths and necklines need to be considered,” Moody said. “Men may need tie pins, medals, sashes and handkerchiefs. Women often pay respect to the country with a national flower or symbol incorporated into their clothing. Symbolic colors are chosen, significant jewelry decided upon.”

Prepare to Be Busy

It wasn’t uncommon in years past for royals to be away for over a month on a royal tour. Not so anymore — the King and Queen’s current tour is nine days, and when Prince William and Kate Middleton traveled to three countries in the Caribbean in 2022, they were away for eight days visiting Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The present day max, the Mirror reports, is two weeks in length — and each day is typically jam-packed with engagements. On King Charles and Queen Camilla’s current tour, they have 36 engagements packed into their nine-day visit.

Monarchs Must Travel with Blood Matching Their Specific Blood Type

King Charles is currently traveling with two doctors to Australia and Samoa and has reportedly paused his ongoing cancer treatment for the visit, resuming it when he returns to the U.K. Bags of blood corresponding with the monarch’s blood type also make the trip in case of an emergency.

“In countries where a reliable blood supply is questionable, the [late] Queen and the [former] Prince of Wales both travel with their own personal packs of blood following in their convoy wherever they go,” Gordon Rayner of the Telegraph reported in 2016, adding that a Royal Navy doctor always traveled with Queen Elizabeth and would research information about local hospitals wherever she went.

“Their doctor is never more than a few paces away, carrying a bulky medical bag containing a mobile defibrillator and all manner of emergency medicine,” Rayner added.

Heirs Fly Separately

In order to preserve the line of succession, heirs to the throne don’t fly together — meaning you won’t see King Charles and his heir, Prince William, on the same flight.

Speaking on A Right Royal Podcast, former royal pilot Graham Laurie said that when Prince William turned 12 in 1994, he could no longer fly with his father. (If the same rules apply to Prince George, that means that William and George will no longer be able to fly together after the 11-year-old turns 12 in July 2025.)

“Interestingly, we flew all four — the Prince [of Wales], the Princess [of Wales], Prince William and Prince Harry — up until Prince William was 12 years old,” Laurie said. “After that, he had to have a separate aircraft, and we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth].”

“When William became 12, he would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt, and we would fly the 146 out with the other three on,” he continued.

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