Selfies, smooches, and special gestures — Inside royal family’s protocol breaking spree

The royal family is synonymous with discipline; probably because the pressure of responsibilities imposed upon them — oftentimes, by themselves — is often unique in its own nature.

Despite the multiple protocols and rules in place for members of the Crown, the manner in which they tend to surpass it is just as unique as their restrictions.

From the most contemporary royal family members to a few less modern, everyone has tested their luck with pushing boundaries within their circle of control. Have a look below:

Travel protocols

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, have been hailed as part of a huge turnaround in the monarchy with their continued efforts to tone down the archaic practices within the framework of royalty.

Besides the various moments their engagements have blurred the lines between duty and comfort, the most recent instance which proves the future king and queen’s continued efforts towards a modernised royalty includes their bypassing of rules to travel with their children.

While the royal rules state that heirs to the Crown may not travel together, to prioritise the throne’s stability, William and Kate have consistently flown with all three of their children, a habit which has stood in place despite their eldest son’s coming-of-age.

As Prince George turned 12 years old last month, the Kensington team has shown no efforts to travel separately from the second-in-line to the British throne, and will likely continue with their own little tradition.

According to PEOPLE, “They (William and Kate) have conscientiously worked to give their kids a normal upbringing despite their future royal roles and strayed from past practices of the family.”

Babies on board

Speaking of travel concessions, Princess Diana planted the seeds of a tradition which took off so quickly, it is often considered as always being in place.

Indeed, the tradition of travelling with children was not in fact a norm until the former Princess of Wales brought it on board — much like her kids.

When Diana insisted that she and Charles (then the Prince of Wales) travel with their nine month old son Prince William on their tour to Australia and New Zealand in March 1983, a new precedent was born.

Ever since her decision to travel with both of her sons, William and Harry, on long royal tours which would have effectively separated the mother and children for months on end at times had she left without them, royal families like William and Harry’s own, have flown to official royal tours together with their children.

In contrast, Queen Elizabeth used to leave her children, including King Charles, at home with their grandmother or nannies when flying off to visit other countries in a royal capacity.

Selfie galore

Despite members of the royal family being discouraged from posing for snaps with the general public, there have been instances where they have grown increasingly close to their supporters in recent years.

Both of the elder and younger royal pairs, King Charles and Queen Camilla as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton, have attempted to provide a closer line of interaction with their subjects by posing for selfies with them on numerous occasions so far.

Furthermore, the Daily Express once reported, “While there is no royal rule regarding selfies, it is generally discouraged for members of the Royal Family to pose for selfies.”

Smooching royals

Royal experts, like the biographer Andrew Morton, have described kissing a royal as something that would “never” have been permitted in the second Elizabethan age.

However, King Charles is ushering in an era where the monarch is apparently not above a tasteful peck.

While greeting well wishers at the funeral of his mother as well as during a 2024 trip to the Channel Islands, the King has allowed members of the public to plant a kiss on his cheek or hands.

One supporter named Jenny Assiminios shared the details of her smooching encounter with his majesty in a conversation with CNN.

“I have seen him in front of me. I couldn’t believe it, and I said to him, ‘May I kiss you?’ He said, ‘Well, yes,’ so I grabbed him, and I was very happy,” she said.

Heartfelt heritage

Much like Charles, there was another royal protocol that was left redundant in Princess Diana’s hands (quite literally).

The late royal forwent the tradition of wearing gloves when shaking hands with non-royals, including the general public.

Moreover, she took it a notch further by even embracing people during official royal engagements.

Curator of the exhibition called Diana: Her Fashion Story, Eleri Lynn told PEOPLE, “She abandoned the royal protocol of wearing gloves because she liked to hold hands when visiting people or shake hands and have direct contact.”

In one of the most memorable moments, Diana put this detail on display when she visited an AIDS clinic in 1987 and greeted the patients there by shaking hands and hugging them, at a time when the disease was largely thought of as being contagious.

Since then, she aimed to raise awareness around the stigmatised illness through the huge visibility afforded to her because of her status in public.

This gesture held special significance, not only because it exceeded royal protocols, but also because it helped dispel the stigma around the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Christmas joy

While Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are considered one of the most bold rule breakers in the history of British royalty — certainly more than others in the current times — it has been discovered that they have been crossing barriers even before their wedding.

Back in 2017, the Duchess of Sussex spread Christmas cheer by joining her then fiancé’s family at their Sandringham estate, something only official members of the royal family are allowed to do.

Notably, no one before Meghan — not even Kate — had the privilege of spending holidays with the royal family at their chosen Christmas venue of Sandringham.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry only wed each other a year after their Christmas faux pas, in May 2018.

Supportive husbands

Generally a stickler, and largely upholder, of some of the most strict and ancient royal traditions and rules, even Queen Elizabeth introduced precedents which have come to become the norm.

The late Queen insisted that her husband, Prince Philip, be present in the room for the birth of their youngest child, Prince Edward.

Prior to the Queen’s experience, royal husbands usually did not, and were not, considered to accompany their wives while they gave birth.

According to the royal book, My Husband and I: The Inside Story Of 70 Years Of Royal Marriage, “The Duke of Edinburgh was actually holding his wife’s hand as their youngest was born on March 10, 1964.”

Reportedly, Queen Elizabeth was inspired to introduce the tradition since she had been “keenly reading women’s magazines” in the days leading up to labour.

Ever since, notable royal men like King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry have regularly been present by their wives’ bedside as they brought life into the world.