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Saving energy -

One would imagine that the central heating would be blasting in Buckingham Palace, especially when the late Queen received guests. But it turns out she preferred small space heaters (pictured, bottom left).

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Saving energy -

Here is Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 with former premier of South Australia Mike Rann and his wife, Sasha Rann. An electric radiator can be seen nestled in the fireplace.

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Reusing outfits -

Many British royals have been seen wearing the same outfit more than once, just like most of us would. Here is Catherine, Princess of Wales wearing the same outfit in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

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Hand-me-downs -

And the same applies to hand-me-downs. Here is King Charles holding Prince William, next to an image of Prince William holding Prince George, wearing the same outfit, at the same event, back in 1984.

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Ration coupons -

Queen Elizabeth II actually bought her wedding dress with WWII ration coupons. People from all over the country sent her theirs, but the then-princess had to return them, as it would be illegal for her to use them.

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Cooking from scratch -

Prince William and his family like to cook homemade meals from scratch. It seems like the Prince of Wales acquired the skills during his boarding school days at Eton College.

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Cheaper hotel rooms -

In 2012, Princess Anne turned down a hotel room with sea view to save £40 (approximately US$49). She opted for a room overlooking the rear entrance to Manor House Hotel in Oban, Scotland, instead.

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Frugal Anne -

Also worth mentioning is the outfit Princess Anne wore in both 1983 and 2015. She doesn’t seem to buy new clothes that often, and indeed is one of the most frugal royals in the family.

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Conscious betting -

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh was spotted placing a £2 (approximately US$2.44) bet at the 2018 Royal Ascot event. She did so on four different horses. Not quite a bank-breaking bet, right?

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Doggy bag -

King Charles is known to pack a doggy bag and take home leftovers. According to Charles' former private secretary, Clive Alderton, "He gets any leftovers wrapped up and brought back for his next meal, and the next one."

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Doggy bag -

"If we made roasted lamb and there were leftovers, we'd probably go and make Shephard's pie the next night," said former royal chef Carolyn Robb.

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Water rationing -

This may not be a reality today, but the royal family had to ration water during World War II, just like everyone else. George VI had black lines painted into baths, which marked the limit of five inches of hot water that each person was allocated per bath.

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Simple breakfast -

The late Queen Elizabeth II was not into fancy breakfasts. She much preferred a simple bowl of cereal.

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Simple breakfast -

Queen Camilla is a fan of scrambled eggs, according to her son Tom Parker Bowles. Zara Tindall also likes to keep it simple by starting the day with Greek yogurt and honey.

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Rented TV and VCR -

The Queen Mother used to rent an old TV set and a video recorder during her summer vacation at the Castle of Mey in Scotland.

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Flying economy -

Prince William was spotted flying coach on an American Airlines flight in 2014, and Prince Harry flew economy on British Airways in 2018.

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Inexpensive clothing items -

Both Catherine, Princess of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have been spotted wearing pieces from brands such as Gap and Zara.

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Inexpensive beauty products -

The late Queen was known for wearing Essie’s Ballet Slippers, a light pink nail polish that only cost just under £8 (approximately US$9.73) a bottle.

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DIY makeup -

Catherine, Princess of Wales famously did her own makeup for her wedding. Though it must be said that she received instructions from a professional makeup artist before her big day.

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Saving on electricity -

This is a habit that has been passed down for generations. And it does make a difference on electricity bills when your home has 775 rooms!

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Saving on electricity -

Not only did the late Queen used to switch the lights off, but she also put up signs that read "The attention is drawn of all members of staff to the need to switch off unwanted lights. By Order of The Master of The Household."

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Saving on electricity -

And it looks like King Charles inherited the habit from his mother and passed it on to his children. According to Prince Harry, his father is "a stickler for turning lights off. And that's now something that I'm obsessed with as well."

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The royal kids' bedrooms have IKEA furniture -

It may be difficult to imagine the future king of England sleeping on a budget bed, but it turns out the children of William and Kate have some IKEA furniture in their bedrooms.

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Reusing wrapping paper -

This royal Christmas tradition is a particularly environmentally-friendly one. Every year, millions of rolls of wrapping paper are thrown away, but not in Buckingham Palace! The Queen was known to collect up the wrapping paper and ribbons and save them to be reused.

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Vintage luggage -

The late Queen was also known for using the same Globe-Trotter suitcases since her honeymoon in 1947.

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Treating kids to junk food -

Princess Diana used to secretly take her children to McDonald's, according to former royal chef Darren McGrady. "The three of them would nip to McDonald’s for a Big Mac and fries before coming back to watch 'Blind Date,'" he said.

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Patched-up clothing -

Why buy new when a little sewing can do the trick? Here is an example of King Charles wearing a patched-up suit.

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Simple gifts -

Expensive gifts are discouraged among royals, and this applies to newcomers to the family, too. Meghan Markle once reportedly gave Queen Elizabeth II a singing hamster, which made her giggle.

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Simple gifts -

In 2011, Catherine, Princess of Wales gave the late Queen some homemade chutney as a Christmas gift.

Sources: (Reader's Digest) (The List) (Tatler) (British Heritage Travel) (Hello Magazine) (The Mirror) 

See also: The strange rules and traditions of the British royal family

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