Duke of Kent, 90, whips out his phone during royal balcony moment – watch

There are a few everyday things it’s rare to see royals do, and using a phone is one of them.

While we occasionally see Princess Kate and Prince William take a selfie for members of the public, it’s extremely uncommon to see any of the royals scrolling on their own phones, which is what made the Duke of Kent’s move on the balcony of Buckingham Palace quite so extraordinary.

Standing alongside all of the senior royals, from King Charles and Queen Camilla to the Prince and Princess of Wales, the 90-year-old, who was a first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II, removed his phone from the inside pocket of his blazer.

After studying the screen for a moment, the Duke appears to take videos and photos of the crowds gathered in front of Buckingham Palace, documenting the moment from his own viewpoint. 

While there’s no official protocol that says royals are forbidden from using their phones in public, doing so in front of thousands of fans gathered to see you does feel like a bit of a blunder, etiquette-wise!

© PA Images via Getty Images

The Duke was positioned to the side of the other royals, slightly obscured by a stone pillar, so perhaps he thought his screentime would go unnoticed – forgetting that the world’s eyes were on him!

King Charles in particular might have been peeved by the Duke’s blunder, as he reportedly insists that anyone working in his home must have their mobile phones turned off when at work, unless they are in a desk job that requires them to use one.

© PA Images via Getty Images

His son, Prince William, appears to be following his father’s phone-free rules, too. Speaking to Schitt’s Creek actor Eugene Levy in his most personal interview to date in October 2025, the royal dad, 43, said that spending time with his family without any devices was paramount.

“We sit and chat, it’s really important. None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about,” he says.

An emotional crutch

While it might have looked like the Duke of Kent was being disrespectful of his royal surroundings by using his phone, we must remember he lost his wife, the Duchess of Kent, last year, and this is one of his first public occasions without his wife by his side.

Anyone who has ever felt vulnerable or awkward at an event will know that a phone works well as an emotional crutch, to direct your attention to until there’s something you should be doing or there’s somebody to talk to.

While it’s difficult to guess what the Duke of Kent will do with the photos snapped from the balcony, given a professional photographer was on hand to capture every moment, if his phone helped him feel more at ease, perhaps we can be a bit more lenient on the royal.