The Royal Family Is Not Allowed to Give out Autographs for a Very Good Reason

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If you were hoping to get your James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn rookie card signed anytime soon, you’re out of luck. If you were hoping to get an autograph from anyone in the royal family tree, you’d still be out of luck. The royal family is banned from providing their John Hancock (Revolutionary War burn!) to just anybody for a sound reason.

According to The Sun, the reason behind the prohibition is so that potential forgers can’t learn how to mimic the handwriting of royalty.  

It is possible to purchase an autograph from a Queen Elizabeth, just not the current Queen Elizabeth. A document bearing Queen Elizabeth I’s signature dating back to 1599 is available for purchase for $27,500, or 21,406 pound sterling. So if you’re hoping to impersonate a long dead monarch, this is your best bet.

There are certain exceptions to this rule, however. If members of the royal family are attending an official event with a guest book, they are free to sign. And Prince Charles broke the rule back in 2010 when he wrote his name down on a scrap of paper for a victim of a flood in Cornwall.

A quick review of some royal rules: they can’t sign an autograph, they can’t eat this food, and they must always bring this outfit wherever they travel. Got it? Got it.