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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Jennifer Newton

Prince William and Kate Middleton bend royal rule while meeting well wishers

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge delighted well wishers who turned out to see them on a recent trip to Scotland.

They went to the Kennishead area of Glasgow and met people helped by housing, care and property management group the Wheatley Group.

With many people turning out to see Prince William and Kate then spent a short amount of time greeting as many people as they possibly could.

And it appears that during this impromptu walkabout, they bent one rule that it has been touted that all royals must abide by.

It has been reported that in the past that royals have been told to refrain from taking or posing for selfies while out and about.

William and Kate pose for a selfie with a well wisher (Getty Images)

However, while in Glasgow last week, the pair we both spotted smiling for a selfie with several ladies who had turned out to see them and wanted to remember the moment.

Meanwhile, it wasn't the only royal rule that William appeared to disregard while visiting Glasgow last week.

He was pictured embracing 66-year-old William Burns, who was overcome with emotion on meeting the future King.

Huge crowds turned out to see the royal couple (AFP via Getty Images)

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It was a marked difference from when other members of the public usually meet royals and stick to formal handshakes and even bows or curtsies.

The embrace comes after reports that the couple want to be addressed by name and not their titles in a huge shake-up of royal protocol.

William hugs an emotional resident, during a visit to the Wheatley Group in Glasgow (PA)

A royal source said they were motivated by their disastrous Caribbean tour, which took place back in March.

The source said: “They want to be more approachable, less formal, less stuffy and break away with a lot of the tradition.”

They are said to want to scrap stuffy formality – including curtsies and bows – when on duty around the world.

A source added: “So now it’s more ‘Wills and Kate’ instead of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge... ‘Just call me Wills’ type of thing.

"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.”

William and Kate were shaken by criticism of their Caribbean tour in March – heralded by some as a PR disaster.

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