Kate Middleton broke royal protocol with ‘highly unusual move’The Princess of Wales has been spotted breaking royal protocol whilst on an official royal visit in Wales.
Kate, who recently lost her assistant, attended an official visit to Corgi knitwear and sock factory in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire. Whilst visiting the Wales town, Kate engaged with locals and visitors including a three-year-old girl who was keen to get her attention.
In what’s been described as a ‘highly unusual’ interaction, Kate ditched royal tradition as she spoke directly to the young girl as well as shaking her hand. Kate greeted the young girl as she said, “I heard you say ‘hello’ from all the way back there and I wanted to come and see you.”
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Kate then accepted a gift from the little girl, in the form of a toy banana. However when returning the toy, it was dropped on the ground with Kate bending down to retrieve it and ensure it was given back.
On a royal visit in Wales, Kate chatted to a three-year-old girl and shook her hand(Image: Getty Images)
The Princess of Wales also retrieved a dropped toy, ensuring it was given back to its young owner(Image: AP)The simple gesture was in fact a deviation from royal protocol for Kate, as royals typically maintain a level of formality in public settings.
This also isn’t the first time that Kate has appeared to deviate away from the strict rules the Royal family follow, and has often been seen crouching down to talk to children on royal visits before.
She’s also been seen to do that before with her own three children, appearing to break the staunch formalities the monarchy usually follow.
The moment isn’t the only occasion of rule-breaking, as the Princess of Wales has appeared to break the rules at Wimbledon too.
In 2023, Kate, who took on the role of patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2016, had the honor of distributing the winners and runner-up trophies at Wimbledon, sharing a touching exchange with one emotional tennis star.
Kate is often seen ‘breaking’ the royal rules, as she appears to be more informal with people she meets(Image: Getty Images)During the trophy presentation, Kate encountered Tunisian tennis sensation Ons Jabeur, who was visibly moved after finishing as runner-up in two back-to-back finals and experiencing a loss at the US Open Final that same year.
As Kate handed over the award, she paused to offer some comforting words to Jabeur, who was clearly upset.
Breaking away from traditional Royal protocol in a heartwarming gesture, Kate wrapped Jabeur in a lengthy, supportive hug.
Speaking with Hello!, Jabeur later revealed that it was the Princess herself who initiated their warm encounter, as she said, “She was really the nicest. She has watched me twice, losing the final twice. She kept asking me if she could hug me, and I was like, ‘Who doesn’t want a hug from a Princess,’ you know?”
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