Prince William Breaks Supposed Rule in Cape Town (and I Suspect the Royal Fam May Have Abandoned This Protocol Entirely)

This isn't the first time it's happened

By Nakeisha Campbell

Published Nov 4, 2024

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4:04pm

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince William has officially arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, to kickstart Earthshot Prize week.

The Prince of Wales, 42, received a warm welcome at his first engagement, where he met with 120 young people from across Africa and Southeast Asia participating in the inaugural Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Program. To mark the occasion, the prince shared a photo with the group on Instagram and wrote, "Thank you for an incredible welcome in Cape Town, already feeling inspired after an afternoon at the first @EarthshotPrize Youth Leaders program!"

Now, I've gotten quite used to seeing the prince share professional portraits and striking candids from his royal events, but this happened to be one of the rare times he shared a selfie to his personal IG account, making me suspect the royal family no longer strictly adheres to the unwritten “no selfie” rule.

The snap was taken by South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha, with the help of a selfie stick to capture as many people as possible. In response, one fan commented, "What a great picture!! Love it, thank you for highlighting more and more incredible people that truly care about the planet." Another referenced the late Princess Diana and wrote, "Doing such wonderful work, making your mother very proud."

The proud father of three is all smiles as he poses alongside Mbatha and the group—and there are even candids of the prince reacting to the selfies.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

In one snap, he observes the photos with a wide grin and in another, he points to the phone in excitement as they're about to snap a pic.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

FYI, multiple royals—including Kate Middleton—have broken this royal rule as of late. In case you need a refresher, royal fan Greg Agnew attended Queen Elizabeth's garden party in 2017 and told Insider that selfies were discouraged because "they didn't want people turning their backs to the royal family and the queen." However, it appears that this rule is no longer strictly enforced, given that William has broken it more times than I can count. (Remember his recent visit to St George's Park?)

Prince William, Prince of Wales smiles for selfie

Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

But back to Earthshot Prize week. Aside from taking fun pics with the young environmentalists, Prince William also addressed the group with an encouraging statement.

Per People, he said, "All of you in this room are future changemakers, you’re the leaders, you’re the people going to make the difference going forward. It’s your platform. Use it as you need to, take it away, play with it, turn it into something different. Because we believe in you, and what you’re going to do is change the world, I really believe that."

He continued, "This is the generation that is going to do that. And your solutions and your impact are so important and so needed right now. This is not noble, this is business, and what you’re doing is creating solutions and a better life for all of us. Keep it going. Keep the energy up."

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Nakeisha Campbell

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Writes celebrity news, TV/movie reviews and SEO-focused entertainment articles
Interviews celebrities and covers red carpet events
Has 8+ years of experience covering entertainment topics

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