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09th Oct 2018

Can members of the royal family get tattoos? The answer might surprise you

Interesting.

Denise Curtin

Being a royal comes with a lot of strict protocols.

From dress code to the way you wave to the way you sign your name, a lot of intense training and rules come alongside the title so, it isn’t strange to think tattoos were an absolute “no-go zone” in the royal family, however, it’s actually far from the truth.

In fact, royals getting tattoos is something which has occurred for centuries. As far back as 1862, it looks like the blue bloods have been inking up as acts of symbolism and good will.

In fact, many speculated that Prince William would get a tattoo when attending his first royal visit to Israel earlier this year, following in his ancestor’s footsteps to be the fourth prince to get a tattoo on his arm, however, he opted out.

Prince William in Jerusalem, June 2018.

But William wouldn’t of been the only member of the British royal family to currently rock ink proudly. In fact, William’s royal cousin, Lady Amelia Windsor, is always spotted flaunting her various tattoos. The 22-year-old model (who is also one of the rare family members with Instagram) has various tattoos including a petal on her side-boob/torso region.

 

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However, royal reporters believe she is an exception due to her distance from the throne (she’s 38th in line).

According to royal butler, Grant Harrold he explained why we don’t see such tattoos on more senior royals even though they’re not taboo.

“These are choices that the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex will not even consider due to their ever-increasing public profiles, which mirror the Royal Family on a daily basis. Lady Amelia Windsor is not a senior royal or a princess. As we know she is not even in the top 30 in line to the throne, so she will be aware that she can get away with personal choices such as tattoos or modelling for international fashion houses”, he explained.

As for European royals, however, plenty of them rock tattoos and proudly. Princess Sofia of Sweden has a sun tattoo on her upper back which she even showcased on her wedding day by opting for an updo hairstyle.

We wonder what Queen Elizabeth would think of this…