The royal seal was a vow that members of the Elder Houses had to follow. Any item placed under the seal had to be kept secret. Traditionally, the vow specified that the sanctity of the royal seal was to be held unto death. During the time of the New Republic, Lady Carise Sindian broke the vow when she released a private recording, revealing Darth Vader to be the father of Leia Organa. Organa, however, chose not to pursue the matter to its fullest extent, instead convincing the Elder Houses to pass a resolution, which for Sindian would be even worse: to strip Sindian of all her titles, as well as nullifying her membership in the Elder Houses.