4 Times Prince William & Kate Middleton Broke Royal Protocol And Won Hearts

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William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, are the most popular royals, according to a 2026 YouGov poll. When you look at their public conduct, it's easy to see why. Ever since Queen Elizabeth II's heartbreaking death, Prince William and Kate Middleton have become noticeably more relaxed in public as they're seemingly embracing a modern version of the monarchy. Their efforts have been visible in their new penchant for breaking age-old royal protocols, most of which were designed to keep the public at somewhat of a distance. Kate and William seem eager to breach that gap, winning hearts in the process.

Speaking to Vanity Fair in March 2026, royal expert Russell Myers revealed Kate and William's future intentions after having lengthy discussions with their close friends for his book "William & Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story." One thing is clear: the Waleses want to shake things up. "Both the Prince and Princess of Wales want to rule, when the time comes, with more empathy and a greater personal relationship with the people, and we are seeing that with the way they speak about their own mental health and wellbeing, it's incredibly forward-looking," Myers told the publication. Royal photographer Chris Jackson reiterated this in a separate March 2026 interview with Vanity Fair, noting that William has a knack for engaging with the youth, while Kate exudes "warmth and friendliness with many of the people she meets and is very natural with young people ... "

It's easy to see why royal pundits are excited about Kate and William breaking with royal protocol. Clearly, they're not waiting to become the heads of the monarchy before they enact change — they're starting right now.

As longtime royal pundits know all too well, Queen Elizabeth II detested the sea of cellphones awaiting her at royal engagements and missed the days where she could speak to people without phones in the way. It's therefore not shocking that Her Majesty was not a fan of selfies. She rarely took one with a fan intentionally, and for the most part, the rest of the royal family seemed to follow her lead. Anne, the Princess Royal, exclaimed in the 2018 "Queen of the World" documentary, "Phones are bad enough, but the iPads, you can't even see their heads" (per Hello!). But there are ample royal protocols members of the family have broken since the queen died, and taking selfies on the regular is one of them. William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, are the main perpetrators, and fans are taking full advantage of it.

Even before the queen's death, William and Kate Middleton showed a willingness to get closer to royal fans and allow them to snap pictures of their encounters with them. During a May 2022 visit to Scotland, they were spotted indulging eager fans by posing for selfies. "They want to try to avoid the bows and curtsies in public, be more approachable, less formal, less stuffy, and break away with a lot of the tradition and focus on a modern monarchy," a source told the Mirror.

Express' royal editor Emily Ferguson also broached the selfie subject in a 2025 column she penned for the publication, noting that William seems eager to do away with the no-selfie rule for good. " ... William is spending longer and longer on walkabouts and is more than happy to pose for endless pictures," she wrote.

Selfies aren't the only thing William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, are open to — the couple has also done away with the royal protocol that frowned upon sharing hugs with the public. As far as Prince William and Kate Middleton are concerned, hugs are free, and therefore they should be doled out to eager royal fans without preamble.

During the Waleses' visit to Scotland in May 2022, William warmed hearts when he hugged a senior member of the public, William Burns, who was overwhelmed with emotion at meeting the future king. William noticed Burns' emotional state and pulled him into a heartfelt hug. Body language expert Darren Stanton explained to GoodToKnow how the gesture endeared the public to William. "Such a moment marks an unprecedented demonstration of just how authentic, empathetic and open Kate and William are," Stanton pointed out (via Scottish Daily Express). "William embracing the elderly man is a rare outpouring of genuine emotion from a senior Royal ... " Stanton added that, if William keeps this up, he might just become the most beloved monarch the British royal family has ever seen when he ascends the throne. Kate won't be far behind — Stanton noted that her reaction to William and the man's hug was "one of pure joy," and she's been known to share hugs with fans as well.

Burns told the Daily Mail in a subsequent interview how much William's warmth meant to him in the moment. "I am a grandfather. It felt like a son hugging a father," he said. "It was the way he hugged me. ... It was a boost. I've never felt anything like it in my entire life before and my existence as a human being." We're not crying, you're crying!

William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, keep proving that they are the perfect pairing, and their sweet relationship was put on full display at the 2023 BAFTA Awards, when Kate Middleton cheekily patted her hubby's behind as they walked the red carpet. Indeed, we suspect their royal ancestors were rolling over in their graves. The gesture went viral — but not because pundits were angry on behalf of said royal ancestors. It turned out that people loved the breach of royal protocol and found the Waleses more relatable as a result.

Vogue's TikTok account posted a clip of the moment, to the delight of royal fans everywhere. Kate could be seen laughing and leaning over to whisper something to William as she playfully tapped his butt. The caption of the video read, "#KateMiddleton's butt tap (grab?) of #PrinceWilliam is everything you need to see to know that royals are just like us and every married couple out there."

There was plenty of speculation about said butt tap. After all, the unwritten royal rule that royal couples do not engage in PDA has been around for ages, and pundits have certainly never seen that kind of affection displayed in public by royals before, especially the future king and queen. Body language expert Judi James told the Mirror that she suspected Kate initially intended this to be a much more innocent gesture, surmising that she wanted to hold William's hand. He didn't catch on to what she was doing, and Kate opted for something a little naughtier instead. "So this works as both a sexy ritual or appreciation and a small reprimand for missing her cue," James explained.

The award for royals showing the most PDA used to go to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, have dethroned the Sussexes in recent years. While they used to be very conservative when it came to how much affection they showed in public, the Waleses have become increasingly more confident when it comes to displaying their love for each other in full view of the cameras and the watchful public. Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital in July 2026 that William and Kate Middleton's decision to show more PDA has been a good move. "[It] shows a wonderful steadiness in their relationship ... Which bodes so well for the future of the monarchy and traditional marital loyalty under intense media scrutiny," she said.

Fordwich was referring to a few viral photographs of William and Kate, such as their PDA during the Royal Charity Polo Cup in July 2026. The couple could be seen embracing, with William enthusiastically kissing a smiling Kate on the cheek. Not long before that, the couple posted photographs of them sharing a fierce embrace to their joint Instagram account. Said hug occurred after Kate finished the National Three Peaks Challenge, with William clearly being very proud of his wife. "These are such precious, priceless, incredible photos," one fan penned in the comments. "A moment filled with love, emotion, joy and pride," another gushed. "This hug is everything ... "