Kate And William Just Broke Royal Protocol In An Epic Way
It's been a while since Prince William and Kate Middleton jetted across the world for an official royal tour, and their latest engagement marks the first time the couple has visited the Caribbean as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (via Town & Country). In celebration of the queen's Platinum Jubilee, the week-long tour kicked off on March 19 with a stop in Belize. From there, the royal couple traveled on to Jamaica, where they explored the reggae heritage of music legend Bob Marley in the Kingston neighborhood of Trench Town. Besides music, the day's festivities included plenty of sports. After Prince William participated in a brief soccer game, he and Kate met Jamaican soccer celebrities Raheem Sterling and Leon Bailey, per People.
That same day, the royal couple had the opportunity to meet with Jamaica's bobsleigh team. Fresh out of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (via The Mirror), the team embraced William and Kate as their own. The team even invited the duke and duchess to sit in one of the bobsleighs used in the competition. Enthusiastically, the members posed for a photo with the duke and duchess, leading to an unusual breach of royal protocol.
The Queen isn't a fan of selfies and reportedly finds it 'rather bad manners'
While Prince William and Kate Middleton didn't share the selfie itself on social media, royal photographer Samir Hussein did on his Instagram, as did the bobsleigh team. "What an honour it is to have the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge not only in Jamaica but sitting in one of our history-making bobsleighs!" the team captioned the photo. "We are thankful to the support and looking forward to once again being the #HottestThingOnIce in the 2026 Winter Olympics!"
Commenting that it was "lovely to meet" the team, William and Kate looked absolutely overjoyed to share this moment with them. The post continues to generate enthusiasm, racking up over 8,600 likes as of this writing.
According to Hello!, the royal no-selfie practice is more of a convention than an official rule. Typically, members of the royal family avoid selfies when they are on the job during public appearances.
However, taking photos like this is usually meant to be avoided, according to royal protocol. While it's not explicitly stated that selfies are banned, the queen isn't a huge fan of them. According to MyLondon, it's believed she finds it "rather bad manners" to be snapped rather than greeted, "or to be too focused on a screen instead of making eye contact."
More reasons why the royal family doesn't do selfies
At 95 years old, Queen Elizabeth is more accustomed to a screen-free world than most of us. However, the monarch's shunning of selfies is actually a modification of previous rules as a way to keep up with changing time and tech. The no-selfie practice has roots in the no-autographs policy. According to MyLondon, royals don't have the time or stamina to meet all those fans requests for personal one-on-one time.
In addition, the avoidance of selfies and autographs are also based on security concerns. According to Express, royal autographs pose a forgery risk. For selfies there is a different worry. "From a security standpoint, [selfies are] also not ideal as they warrant a certain closeness," says CNN's Royal Correspondent Victoria Arbiter. She suggests that quality time is a better approach during these appearances. "Royals would always rather have a personal interaction than have people clamoring for selfies," she says (via Business Insider).
Another reason some royals have avoided selfies is out of personal preference. According to Hello!, Prince Harry spoke of his dislike for selfies at an event in Canberra, Australia. "I hate selfies," he said during a meet and greet session. "I know you're young, selfies are bad. Just take a normal photograph!"
Prince William and Kate aren't the only ones to break selfie protocol
Even some of the most outspoken members of the royal family have warmed to the idea of taking selfies. According to Daily Mail, Prince Harry got over his dislike of selfies and was spotted taking one when he and Meghan Markle met a fan who looked amazingly like the duchess did in her youth. The outlet also reported that Prince Charles was one of the first royals to buck the no-selfie practice as far back as 2014.
CNN's Royal Correspondent Victoria Arbiter acknowledges that the no-selfie convention does have its share of flexibility. "Royals do what feels right in any given moment," she explained. "If a sick child on a hospital visit or at an awards evening asked for a selfie, most wouldn't hesitate, but on a walkabout, they're avoided," she told Business Insider. Prince Charles even famously extended this idea over to the concept of autographs when he wrote "Charles 2010" for a fan who had suffered in a natural disaster, per Express.
In 2018, Prince William was also part of the "no-selfie" group, joking that he was "allergic to selfies," (per Hello!). Clearly, things have changed, based on the joy he and Kate Middleton exhibited in the photo with the Jamaican bobsleigh athletes.