Prince William is an avid football fan, and as president of the FA, it’s unsurprising that he attended Euro final on Sunday. After watching the England Lionesses historic win, which saw them beat Germany 2-1, the Duke of Cambridge stayed around to congratulate the players and hand out their medals.
40-year-old William has previously shown his support for the team, but this time, he bypassed royal protocol by giving the players hugs as they made their way way across the pitch, reports OK!. The sight of a senior royal embracing members of the public is a rare sight, but according to a royal expert, it was a deliberate action.
In an interview with OK! , former royal butler Grant Harrold opened up about William’s approachable yet respectable nature.
He said: “Historically, there was a rule with royals that you could look but you couldn’t touch. If you met a royal, you could look at them and if they offered you a handshake, you were to accept it.
“That was a lot to do with the mystique surrounding the family but also for security reasons, too,” he says. But as hugs become more common and as handshakes become a thing of the past, Grant explains that William’s approach is representative of a more modern monarchy.
“I think William and the other younger royals have realised that they can’t get away with being aloof,” he says. The Queen can get away with it because she’s the Queen and she’s from a different era, but the younger royals have been brought up very differently.”
Despite William’s mother, Princess Diana, tragically passing away when he was just 15, Grant says that William’s close relationship with his mother has made gravitating towards physical contact a natural thing to do, report Mirror Online.
“It won’t feel unnatural to William - if anything, it’d feel more uncomfortable if it was just a strict handshake. As well as this, seeing royals hug makes them relevant and modern.”
Additionally, with William stepping up in his role in recent months, the breaking of royal protocol may be a way of allowing members of the public to see a glimpse of the “real” him.
“As he does more work and gets to grips with his role, he wants people to see the real him which is why we’ve seen a lot more affection recently,” says Grant. “He’s really eased into his role.”
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