Last month,Prince William broke royal protocol when heattended the Women's EURO 2022 final to see England’s Lionesses take home the trophy.
After the match, which saw the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1, William praised the players as he presented them with their winning medals during the award ceremony.
But as he handed out the winning medals, 40 year old William,who has supported the Lionesses throughout their recent success, broke tradition by offering hugs to the players as they celebrated their victory.
With royals typically offering handshakes, one royal expert believes that the Queen might not have agreed with the Duke of Cambridge’s gesture given her traditional nature.
In an exclusive interview with OK!, former royal butlerGrant Harrold, discussed the difference between William and the Queen’s approach to royal duties.
“I remember a couple of years ago on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, William was speaking to George and he knelt down and the Queen told him off. The Queen is old school and does things in a very traditional manner,” he says.
But despite having differences in their displays of gratitude, Grant believes that Her Majesty will be accepting of William’s more personable approach given his role as future monarch.
“It’s possible that she sees how William acts and thinks ‘it’s not something I’d do’ but she’s also aware that the monarchy has to modernise,” he explains.
“She knows things have to change and even though it’s not her cup of tea – because she’s of a generation where you don’t do things like hugging strangers – she’s aware that we live in a touchy feely world and it’s part of what royals do.”
And with William representing a new generation of royals, displays such as hugs have a way of making the family appear to be more “approachable” than ever before, says Grant.
“There’ll be things that she disagrees with but she’ll allow it because she’s aware that it’s something people do,” he says.
“The reality is, it gets them good PR and puts them in a good place where they can show emotion and be seen as being approachable. In herself she has to allow it for the future of the monarchy.”
According to the royal expert, in addition to being a reflection of the world that William has grown up in,giving hugs to the Lionesses may also have been an intentional move, too.
“I think William and the other younger royals have realised that they can’t get away with being aloof,” Grant explains.
“The Queen can get away with it because she’s the Queen and she’s from a different era, but the younger royals have been brought up very differently.”
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