The Royal Family is barred from celebrating Halloween in public, a restriction that traces back to a rule established by Queen Victoria over a century ago. While many across the UK prepare for the spooky season, the royals must adhere to this protocol in the public eye.
Queen Victoria's Strict Protocol
Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, set a strict code of conduct for the Royal Family to constantly “uphold total class and sophistication.” This meant the family should have “complete self-respect and good behaviour when in front of the general public,” which included not dressing up for Halloween, according to royal expert Christina Reeves.
Despite the public ban, some royals are known to celebrate Halloween privately. Prince William and Princess Catherine are said to secretly enjoy the season with their children, and the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly had a fondness for the autumnal festivities away from public view.
Royal Halloween Celebrations Through History
In 1941, the then-Princess Elizabeth dressed up for a performance of Cinderella at Windsor Castle, although she stopped wearing costumes after becoming queen.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have also shared their love of celebrating Halloween together. They once marked the occasion with Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank at Soho House in Toronto in 2016.
Meghan revealed on The Ellen Show: “He [Harry] came to see me in Toronto, and our friends and his cousin Eugenie and now her husband Jack came as well. And the four of us snuck out in Halloween costumes to just have one fun night on the town before it was out in the world that we were a couple.”
Ellen asked: “So you went with Harry to a Halloween party and they had no idea it was the two of you?” to which Meghan responded: “It was a post-apocalypse theme. So we had all this very bizarre costuming on, and we were able to just sort of have one final fun night out.”
Times have since changed, and the Royal Family have eased up on their Halloween traditions, though the public ban remains in place.
