It’s no secret that members of the British royal family are sticklers for tradition. For instance, they typically follow a list of protocols that include strict dress codes and limited PDA.
But when it comes to avoiding selfies with fans, the royals have become much more relaxed in recent years.
If you recall, the Princess of Wales has broken royal protocol by stopping for selfies on multiple occasions, including her 2023 visit to Streets of Growth in London.
Her husband, Prince William, has also broken the unwritten rule, having posed with fans as recently as June. And now, Queen Camilla, 77, is following suit.
Following her recent visit to the Dyson Cancer Center at Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, the queen stopped to greet several fans and well-wishers. After being gifted with a small bouquet of flowers she was seen posing for a selfie.
In the pic, Camilla is all smiles as she poses with her flowers near a group of fans.
It’s worth noting that this harmless gesture isn’t explicitly banned, but according to Greg Agnew, a royal fan who attended the Queen Elizabeth’s garden party in 2017, there’s a reason it’s frowned upon.
In short, avoiding seflies would prevent fans from turning their backs to the royals, which is considered disrespectful.
He told Insider, “The one thing they talked about a lot was no selfies, and the reason was that they didn’t want people turning their backs to the royal family and the queen.
And that was very important to them. You do not turn your back on the royal family, and you do not attempt to walk up and talk to them.”
Fortunately, the royals have mostly avoided this issue by posing beside their fans, as seen in the queen’s photo and Kate Middleton’s snap from 2023.
Prince William also adopted the same method when he recently posed with one of the players at a youth tournament at St George’s Park.
