The French royals were said to have used lace, which before the Industrial Revolution, was extremely difficult to make and very expensive. British noblemen used pages from old books, which were also hot commodities back then and seen as a source of stature.
The Queen granted us a Royal Warrant in 1978 as a mark of recognition that Andrex® is a regular supplier of toilet tissue to the Royal households.
King Charles III: A report in the New York Post said that King Charles III "brings his own toilet seat and Kleenex Velvet toilet paper wherever he goes".
Wealthy Romans used wool soaked in rose water and French royalty used lace. Other things that were used before toilet paper include: Hay, corn cobs, sticks, stones, sand, moss, hemp, wool, husks, fruit peels, ferns, sponges, seashells, knotted ropes, and broken pottery (ouch!).
Before the availability of mass produced toilet paper in the mid-1800s, humans had to resort to using what was free and available, even if it didn't provide the most effective (or comfortable) results. Options included rocks, leaves, grass, moss, animal fur, corn cobs, coconut husks, sticks, sand, and sea shells.
Tudor Toilets
Toilets were called 'Privies' and were not very private at all. They were often just a piece of wood over a bowl or a hole in the ground. People would wipe their bottoms with leaves or moss and the wealthier people used soft lamb's wool.
The Romans used a communal small mop on a stick. called in Latin: tersorium. It was soaked in vinegar or salt water. It could be a sponge on a stick as well.
Today's royals take care of their own personal hygiene. But historically the role of Groom of the Stool was a very important one at court, which involved being responsible for assisting the monarch with their excretion and ablutions.
Mullein aka “cowboy toilet paper”
Even hard men want a soft leaf. If the cowboys used the large velvety leaves of the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plant while out on the range, then you can too!
Other ways of wiping before the invention of toilet paper
Early North American settlers used corn cobs. They were abundant, they were soft and they were easy to handle. Sailors used something called a 'tow rag'. A tow rag was a long piece of frayed rope that dangled in the water.
According to royal expert and Charles biographer Christopher Andersen, His Maj always travels with a collection of highly personal affects, including but not limited to a custom-made toilet seat.
A sponge on a stick
If you went to the toilet in ancient Rome, you would not have any toilet paper. Instead you may have used a sponge (Latin: tersorium) to wipe. These ancient devices consisted of a stick with a vinegar- or salt water-soaked sponge attached. They were often shared!
Christopher Andersen, a biographer of the king whose new book The King has been a New York Times bestseller, told The Daily Beast: “The king has a famously volcanic temper, and there are plenty of examples of the tantrums he's thrown over the years.
There were flat sheets instead of the roll to which we are all accustomed. The advent of a flushed toilet changed what was used as toilet paper. When people used privies it didn't really matter what was used as toilet paper since it went down a hole. So items like corncobs, straw, water, and sticks were common.
Outside the U.S., bidets are standard.
The water cleansing fixture originated in France, so you can bet you'll find them in many a French bathroom still today. Bidets are not just preferred over toilet paper in many parts of the world, but they're also necessary where paper products are limited.
Convenient for insertion and surprisingly soft when dried, corn cobs were plentiful and popular among Native Americans and colonial settlers in North America. With the edible kernels removed, the remaining cob has copious grooves and indentations which become quite efficient at trapping any remaining fecal matter.
Instead of using toilet paper, Tudor people would use leaves or moss. If you were rich, you would sometimes use lamb's wool too!
If you're outside and you have to go, leaves are nature's toilet paper. The most common are Maple, Oak, Mullein, Cottonwood, Hazelnut, Thimbleberry leaves and more. Corn husks could also come in handy.
This one is slightly more obvious. Instead of using “toilet,” royals use the word “loo” when they need to use the facilities.
Charles is even more particular about his shoelaces, which Scobie says must be ironed. Perhaps the most bizarre habit, though, is that the former Prince of Wales “likes to have someone squeeze exactly one inch of toothpaste onto his toothbrush for him ahead of his bedtime routine,” per the book.
Apparently, the king suffers from chronic back pain, which he is able to manage more effectively if he sleeps alone. So it isn't the palace, or the money, or the not having a proper job? No. Sleeping apart is seemingly what makes them happy.
The use of toilet paper first started in ancient China around the 2nd century BC.
Before paper-based toilet tissue, people often used plants for cleansing. Colonists used dried corn cobs; Aztecs used the leaves of maize; fruit skins and moss were other materials used at the completion of business.