As a historic institution, members of the Royal Family abide by many rules and guidelines that would seem completely bizarre to the average person. Which is why we love to see it when members of the Royal Family appear to break royal protocol, or bend the rules for an important or hilarious reason.
When it comes to breaking protocol, 2024 featured a plethora of examples, including all the usual suspects. From King Charles allegedly changing the rules to honor his daughter-in-law to Princess Anne making a faux pas at a state banquet, here are all the times the British Royal Family reportedly neglected to follow protocol this year.
King Charles changed the rules for Princess Kate
Back in June, the Royal Family stepped out for the annual Trooping the Colour celebration at Buckingham Palace. However, some eagle-eyed fans noticed that there was a notable change in the balcony line-up, with Kate Middleton standing next to King Charles.
Royal experts suggested that Princess Kate's new position next to The King was intentional, and an example of the monarch breaking protocol for an important reason. As both Charles and Kate have dealt with cancer diagnoses in 2024, it seems likely that The King wanted to honor his daughter in a public way for all to see.
Of the change, former royal butler Grant Harrold told OK!, "It is changing protocol to show The King and Kate united with each other and going through similar battles, so I would say this is down to the King's preference." He continued, "The balcony [line-up] is orchestrated, so I have a feeling the King said to Kate, 'You stand next to me.'"
Princess Anne's state banquet faux pas
On Dec. 3, Princess Anne attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honor of the Amir of Qatar and and his wife, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani. Anne was given an extremely important seat at the dinner, as she dined next to the Amir of Qatar himself, and she very nearly broke royal protocol.
King Charles led a toast to the Amir of Qatar, with whom he clinked glasses. Meanwhile, Princess Anne seemingly almost took a sip from her glass before completing the toast, People reported, citing video footage courtesy of Sky News via X. However, Princess Anne quickly corrected herself before her protocol break went any further, and she clinked glasses with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani just in time.
Queen Camilla took a selfie with a fan
In October, Queen Camilla embarked upon a royal tour of Australia and Samoa with her husband, King Charles. During the trip, Camilla met with many royal fans, some of whom were keen to take photos with The Queen.
At the time, Camilla was photographed posing for a selfie with a fan who was waiting outside St. Thomas' Anglican Church in Sydney, Australia. The Express highlighted the moment, saying, "While there is no royal rule regarding selfies, it is generally discouraged for members of the Royal Family to pose for selfies."
When Queen Elizabeth was alive, taking selfies was generally discouraged. However, now that King Charles is on the throne, it's entirely possible the rules have been relaxed, as many royals seem to have started taking selfies with fans.
Prince William filmed a TikTok for a fan
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If taking selfies with royal fans is generally frowned upon, then filming a personal TikTok isn't likely to be any better. During a visit to Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Nov. 14, Prince William helped a student who was late for class as they'd been waiting to meet him by recording a TikTok video.
After receiving instructions from the student and her friends, Prince William said on camera, "Lesley, I'm very sorry we're late, but see we caught up, and they wouldn't believe you were here, so just say hi." Whether or not the Prince of Wales broke any major royal protocol or not is unclear, but it certainly felt like a rule-bending moment.
Prince William grew a beard
Believe it or not, Prince William's decision to grow a beard in 2024 was considered to be somewhat of a "protocol breaking" move.
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry revealed that he needed to get permission from Queen Elizabeth to keep his beard for his 2018 wedding. "After all the stress of asking Granny for permission to marry Meg[han Markle], I thought I'd never have the courage to ask her for anything else," he wrote (via the Express). "And yet I now dared to make another ask—Granny, please, may I, for my wedding, keep my beard?"
The Duke of Sussex was certain his grandmother would refuse the quest, noting, "A beard was thought by some to be a clear violation of protocol and long-standing norms, especially since I was getting married in my Army uniform. Beards were forbidden in the British Army."
When Prince William debuted a new beard in August, in a video celebrating the Paris Olympics, royal fans began thirsting almost immediately. If beards previously broke royal protocol, it would seem that William was allowed to break the rules, perhaps on account of such a positive fan reaction.
King Charles and the unexpected kiss
During a visit to Guernsey in July, King Charles raised some eyebrows when he allowed a royal fan to kiss his cheek. In a video posted on X by the BBC, it was revealed that 91-year-old Kathleen Moriarty had kissed Charles' cheek, with permission of course.
Moriarty told the outlet, "I said to him, 'Please, can I give you a kiss?'" She continued, "And he gives me his cheek. I just did it! I didn't plan it, and I enjoyed it. He's lovely. It was very nice. I am pleased."
"An act of such intimacy may have provoked a very different response during the reign of the late Queen," the Daily Mailreported after the incident. Meanwhile, most royal biographers apparently agree that Queen Elizabeth would "never" have allowed a kiss to take place, suggesting it is blatantly against the rules.
Kate Middleton's personal message
In March, Kate Middleton recorded a personal message revealing her cancer diagnosis. According to royal author Robert Hardman's book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story., Princess Kate's intimate video broke royal protocol.
Hardman explained (via the Mirror), "The Princess had been filmed by a cameraman from BBC Studios Events Productions, the same team which filmed the coronation and the late Queen's funeral. The words, however, were entirely the Princess' own." He continued, "Even the formal transcript issued by the Palace broke with protocol. It was attributed not to 'HRH The Princess of Wales,' but to 'Catherine, The Princess of Wales,' a tiny point to most people but a noteworthy one in an institution bound to a correct way of doing things."
