Being a member of the Royal Family means greeting excited crowds on a regular basis, and in today's digital era, that usually means fans want to record (and share) their regal run-ins for social media. And while everyone from Queen Camilla to Prince William has relaxed royal protocol by posing for selfies, Prince Andrew doesn't seem to be on board with phone culture.
In an Instagram video shared by the Daily Mail's royal account, the Duke of York is seen during the Royal Family's 2023 Christmas walk as he meets with members of the public. Prince Andrew, who was on his way back from church at St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate, stops to talk to one group and asks why they're all recording him.
"I find this fascinating. Why does everybody have their cameras on?" he asks with a confused expression. Laughter can be heard and a voice in the background saying, "videoing you" before Prince Andrew continues his line of questioning.
"But why? Why do that?" he asks. "We're not the press!" one woman quips in reply. "It's not about whether you're the press or not, it's just, why, why video?" Prince Andrew continues, looking genuinely confused in the process. A woman's voice explains that "it's lovely, just a lovely moment."
But that didn't seem to satisfy the Duke of York, who tells the group of fans—who waited in the cold for hours to get a glimpse of the royals—"You ought to stand on this side and see what it's like."
Prince Andrew continues that all he sees is "cameras facing" him. He then swats away a bouquet of flowers before saying "it's a really bizarre sensation" and "it's nice to see you" as he walks away.
Commenters didn't hold back on the Daily Mail's post, like one who wrote, "Trying to have control over the crowd. He makes me shudder."
"I sense that he’s trying to be like his late father or Princess Anne who can both tease and provoke but actually have charm and humor. He is trying to be amusing but is failing miserably," a second fan commented. "I’m sure it’s frustrating to have lenses trained on him all the time, but it’s part of the deal," another Instagrammer added.
Others came to the Duke of York's defense, like one social media user who wrote, "He probably finds it hard to see why people can’t just enjoy seeing the royals - which is what they went there for - without filming it to show off on social media."
"I’m not a fan of his but what he’s saying isn’t odd," a second royal watcher wrote. "Saying this is probably something all famous people want to ask but don’t because they’re polite. Why video everything?"
Queen Elizabeth shared the same sentiments about cameras as her son, with a story in Craig Brown's Q: A Voyage Around the Queen noting that the late monarch hated people holding their phones up when they met her. "I miss seeing their eyes," she mused.
However, younger members of the Royal Family seem to enjoy interacting with technology, like Prince William, who even recorded a TikTok video to help two college students who were late to class this fall.
As for this year, Andrew needn't worry about cameras in his face; multiple reports claim the Duke of York is skipping the Royal Family's Christmas gathering amid his recent "Chinese spy" scandal.
