As any Anglophile knows, while the British royal family enjoys worldwide stardom and some seriously awesome perks, they don’t actually have much in the way of governing power. Yet it’s thanks to them that people in the United Kingdom aren’t allowed to use a certain word willy-nilly—a word that describes them, to be precise. In the United Kingdom, you need special permission to use the word “royal” in certain contexts. These are the amazing perks of being part of the royal family.
Of course, Brits are allowed to use the word “royal” in daily conversation; the monarchy certainly isn’t going to forbid their subjects from speaking about them. But it’s when citizens want to name something after royalty that this unusual stipulation comes into play. If someone wants to use the words “royal” or “royalty” in the name of a business, company, or product, they have to seek permission first. According to gov.uk, the words are considered “sensitive” because they might mislead the public by suggesting an association with the capital-R royals.
Related: Most misspelled words in each state 50 PHOTOSMost Misspelled words in each stateSee GalleryMost Misspelled words in each state
Alabama
Resume
(Photo: Dennis Macdonald via Getty Images)
Alaska
Desire
(Photo: Zoonar/N.Okhitin via Getty Images)
Arizona
Definitely
(photo: TaylorB90/Flickr)
Arkansas
Diarrhea
(photo: yorkfoto)
California
Gray
(Photo: Dorling Kindersley via Getty Images)
Colorado
Receipt
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Connecticuit
Cancelled
(photo: Shutterstock)
Delaware
Paronycha
(photo: Shutterstock)
Florida
Gray
(photo: Shutterstock)
Georgia
Pneumonia
(photo: Shutterstock)
Hawaii
Pterodactyl
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Idaho
Antelope
(photo: Shutterstock)
Illinois
Gray
(Photo: VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm)
Indiana
Gray
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Iowa
Gray
(photo: yorkfoto)
Kansas
Gray
(photo: Shutterstock)
Kentucky
Jealous
(Photo: Dorling Kindersley via Getty Images)
Louisiana
Paran
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Maine
Frustrated
(photo: Shutterstock)
Maryland
Sincerely
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Massachusetts
Gray
(photo: Shutterstock)
Michigan
Gray
(photo: Shutterstock)
Minnesota
Gray
(photo: anthonylibrarian/Flickr)
Mississippi
Niece
(Photo: Medioimages/Photodisc via Getty Images)
Missouri
Maintenance
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Montana
Diagnose
(photo: J.Stephen Conn/Flickr)
Nebraska
Seizures
(photo: Shutterstock)
Nevada
Gorgeous
(photo: Shutterstock)
New Hampshire
Cancelled
(photo: Shutterstock)
New Jersey
Hanukkah
(Photo: Shutterstock)
New Mexico
Anniversary
(photo: Shutterstock)
New York
Hanukkah
(photo: Shutterstock)
North Carolina
Cancelled
(photo: Getty Images)
North Dakota
Gray
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Ohio
Gray
(photo: Shutterstock)
Oklahoma
Hors d’oeuvres
(photo: Shutterstock)
Oregon
Hallelujah
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Pennsylvania
Hanukkah
(photo: Henryk Sadura)
Rhode Island
Magnetism
(Photo: Shutterstock)
South Carolina
Resume
(Photo: Shutterstock)
South Dakota
Borrow
(Photo: Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL/Flickr)
Tennessee
Pneumonia
(photo: Shutterstock)
Texas
Beautiful
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Utah
Ornery
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Vermont
Radiator
(photo: Shutterstock)
Virginia
Gray
(photo: Shutterstock)
Washington
Vacuum
(photo: Shutterstock)
West Virginia
Relax
(Photo: dk_photos via Getty Images )
Wisconsin
Chihuahua
(photo: Kubrak78)
Wyoming
Jealous
(Photo: Space Images via Getty Images)
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And “royal” isn’t the only monarch-themed moniker that you can’t just slap up on your building. If you live in the United Kingdom, you must request permission to use “King,” “Queen,” “Prince/Princess,” “Duke/Duchess,” and “His/Her Majesty” in a business context as well. To get such permission, you have to send an application to the Cabinet Office in London. You must include why you want to use the word, evidence if that word is your last name, and details if your business actually is connected to the royals or the government.
According to an official document from the United Kingdom’s registrar of companies, though, the rules can be bent in cases of “occasional events of national importance.” After all, it’s hard to sell souvenirs for, say, a royal wedding when you’re not allowed to put “royal” on products. Next, learn the words you’ll never, ever hear the royal family say.
[Source: atlasobscura.com]
The post The One Word You Need Permission to Use in the United Kingdom appeared first on Reader’s Digest.
RELATED: Last words of famous people: 16 PHOTOSFamous last words of 18 famous peopleSee GalleryFamous last words of 18 famous people
Karl Marx, philosopher
"Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough."
Source: International Business Times
(Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Richard Feynman, theoretical physicist
"I’d hate to die twice. It’s so boring."
Source: "The Power of Personality" by Sylvia Loehken
(Photo by Joe Munroe/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Archimedes, mathematician
"Stand away, fellow, from my diagram!"
Archimedes was killed during the Second Punic War. According to the historian Plutarch, a soldier reportedly came up to the mathematician and told him to go with him to Marcellus.
Archimedes, however, refused to do so until he finished the problem he was working on. Enraged, the soldier killed him.
Sources: "The Parallel Lives" by Plutarch, "Famous Last Words" by Laura Ward
(Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
Napoléon Bonaparte, French military and political leader
"France, the army, the head of the army, Joséphine."
Source: The Guardian
(Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
Humphrey Bogart, actor
"I should never have switched from scotch to martinis."
Source: International Business Times
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Augustus Caesar, first Roman emperor
To his subjects he reportedly said:
"I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble."
And to his friends who were with him throughout his reign he said:
"Have I played the part well? Then applaud me as I exit."
Source: History
(Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)
Charles Darwin, best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory
"I am not the least afraid to die."
Source: "Famous Last Words" by Laura Ward
(Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)
Bob Marley, musician
"Money can’t buy life."
Source: The Guardian
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Leonardo da Vinci, inventor and painter
"I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have."
Source: Huffington Post
(Photo by Dito/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
After accidentally stepping on her executioner’s foot as she climbed the scaffold to the guillotine, she reportedly said:
"Pardon me. I didn’t do it on purpose."
Source: "Famous Last Words" by Alan Bisbort
(Photo by Archiv Gerstenberg/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Michel de Nostradamus, French apothecary and alleged soothsayer
He made one last — correct — prediction when he said:
"You will not find me alive at sunrise."
Source: "Immortal Last Words" by Terry Breverton
(Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
John Adams, second president of the US
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson started out as rivals, but they became friends later in life. As Adams lay on his deathbed, on July 4, his last words were:
"Thomas Jefferson survives."
Jefferson had actually died some hours earlier, also on July 4.
Source: History
(Photo by: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer and physician best known for creating Sherlock Holmes
He said to his wife:
"You are wonderful."
Source: The New York Times
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Ludwig van Beethoven, composer and pianist
Some reports say Beethoven, who was deaf by the end of life, said:
"I will hear in heaven"
while others suggest he said:
"Plaudite, amici, comedia finita est" (Applaud, friends, the comedy is finished)
But still others say that after a publisher brought the composer 12 bottles of wine, his final words were:
Sources: "The Creative Circle" by Michael Fitzgerald, "Beethoven: The Man Revealed" by John Suchet, Classic FM(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
James Brown, singer
"I’m going away tonight."
Source: The Guardian
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Thomas Edison, inventor and businessman
Right before his death, Edison came out of a coma, opened his eyes, and reportedly said to his wife:
"It is very beautiful out there."
He was probably referring to the view outside his window.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, "Famous Last Words" by Laura Ward
(Photo by Imagno/Getty Images)
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