The lives of history’s kings and queens have often been represented as lives of luxury and leisure. It’s easy to imagine that the royals of the ages have enjoyed endless days of social gatherings, escapes and holidays at their many castles and palaces, or vast banquets dining on the finest food and drinks that money can buy.
While these stereotypical lifestyles may have been the way of life for some of the royals of history, they are much further removed from the reality of royal living in the modern age.
Today’s royals are rarely content to spend their days and their privileged positions in mere leisure and indulgence. Still, for many ordinary people, it can be tempting to wonder how the individual members of the world’s royal families spend their time.
What Does The Royal Family Do All Day?
The various members of a royal family will have vastly different agendas, depending on their rank and role within the monarchy.
For example, the king of a nation will spend his days differently to the younger or lower-ranking royals of the family. Within the British Royal Family, for instance, King Charles III will likely have a packed schedule of duties and engagements, whereas his grandchildren will probably spend the vast majority of their days in the royal nursery or being educated for their roles as prominent royals when they are older.
So for the question, What does the royal family do all day?, the answer varies depending on the age, status and expected future role of the individuals.
The Duties Of Modern Royals
While there are different schedules and agendas for the various royals of the world, there are however some common themes and practices that many of the kings, queens, princes and princesses of the modern world adhere to.
One of the most important and time-consuming aspects of being a prominent royal in today’s society is the importance of civic duties. These often take the form of personal appearances and engagements, and they can take place all across the country.
It’s well known that most modern royals are keen ambassadors for the good causes of their countries, and care deeply about being out in public, meeting and greeting the people who make up their kingdom.
From charitable events, speeches at grand opening ceremonies, and visits to sites of hardship or disaster, these are the kinds of engagements that many members of the royal family are expected to attend.
The schedules for those engagements can be incredibly demanding as well as time-consuming, and it’s widely believed that many modern royals uphold a strong and enduring work ethic that sees them performing these kinds of duties all year long, at a rate that would surprise many people outside of royal circles.
Admittedly, these duties are often performed with an army of aides and assistants, as well as travel arrangements that demand the highest standards of comfort and safety. Yet, the relentless agendas for many modern royals to perform their official duties take up a considerable proportion of their daily lives.
Diplomatic Briefings & Education
Along with the endless rounds of official engagements, state events, charitable functions and royal ceremonies, the duties of modern royals require them to be up to speed on delicate matters of protocol and diplomacy.
For example, when heads of state meet in other countries, there are numerous systems and cultures to be aware of, if they want to avoid a social faux pas, or a breach of protocol, or even a direct insult that could lead to larger ramifications for the nations involved.
These subtleties and nuances of state and social occasions within royal circles require considerable planning and preparation. Many formal royal events require weeks or even months of rehearsals and prep work.
While as much as possible will be handled by palace staff, there are times when the royals in question will need to be briefed or educated on diplomatic issues. This level of preparation can be incredibly time-consuming, yet it is something that members of the royal family must find time for in their schedules.
Political Affairs
The majority of modern monarchies are constitutional monarchies. This means that they don’t rule by absolute power, but instead, they serve as historic figureheads. Their role is more akin to that of an ambassador rather than the supreme powers of governance that the kings and queens of the ages would have known.
Yet, even in these reduced roles, they do still have some constitutional powers and important decisions to make regarding the running of the country and the direction it will take in the future.
So, it’s vital that the highest-ranking royals, as well as the heirs who are being schooled for royal leadership, have some time in their busy agendas for these political or state affairs. It’s also important that the individuals required to make these crucial decisions are kept up to date on political matters, both in their home nation and around the world.
These activities, as well as the information-gathering efforts that support them, are a vital part of royal living in the modern world, and while they add an additional burden onto royal diaries, they must be included if the monarchy is to do its best in its governmental duties.
Royal Family Time
Members of the world’s royal families are humans, just like the rest of us, and so they naturally will want to spend some of their time with their families and loved ones.
The demands of royal duties, particularly at the highest levels of the various monarchies of the globe, can often result in parents being separated from their children, or husbands being away from their wives, often for extended periods of time as they travel the world performing their regal roles.
Once these trips and travels are over, or at least, in between these travel commitments, the royal family will no doubt want to enjoy some downtime away from the glare of public attention, as well as some quality time with the loved ones they have been away from.
The royals of the world may appear to enjoy a luxurious and leisurely existence, yet in reality, many of the members of today’s royal families are among the hardest-working individuals in society.