18 of the most absurd etiquette rules the royal family must not break under any circumstances

You can probably count on one hand how many times a royal has willingly stopped to pose for a selfie with a fan. In the spirit of goodwill, Prince William once obliged a schoolgirl by taking a selfie with her on Christmas Day at Sandringham in 2014. And Princess Kate previously posed with a staff worker during her visit to youth charity, Streets of Growth, in east London in September 2023.

But generally speaking, royals politely decline photographs as they are often focused on an engagement when out in public, and in their working capacity. However, the etiquette around selfies seems to have relaxed in recent years, with both William and Kate seen happily smiling for selfies while out on royal engagements, although Charles and Camilla don’t typically engage in this behaviour.

Prince Harry once admitted that he “hates selfies”. During a visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, he turned down the request of a young fan, explaining: “No, I hate selfies. Seriously, you need to get out of it [the habit], I know you’re young, selfies are bad. Just take a normal photograph!”

The late Queen once revealed that she finds it “disconcerting” and “strange” when she is faced with a sea of people trying to take selfies with her. The implication was that she considered it bad manners for well-wishers to be looking at a screen when she makes public appearances as a guest. She confided in US ambassador Matthew Barzun, who told Tatler: “She was essentially saying: ‘I miss eye contact’.”