Queen Camilla Defies Royal Tradition With This Move (And She's Not The Only Royal)

She's breaking the rules

Published Oct 25, 2024

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1:00pm

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

I’m no royal expert, but I do know that Queen Camilla and King Charles are currently on a royal tour of Australia and Samoa and that royals tend to follow plenty of protocols. Well, it seems Camilla may have slipped and broken protocol during their recent tour. How? When she took a selfie with a fan during the trip.

During a visit to St. Thomas's Anglican Church in Sydney on October 20, 2024, Camilla was photographed smiling for a selfie with a fan. But before anyone jumps to any conclusions, here’s the thing: selfies aren’t technically banned for royals, but they’re not exactly encouraged, either.

Toby Melville-Pool/Getty Images

So, why is it frowned upon? According to Greg Agnew, a royal fan who attended Queen Elizabeth's garden party in 2017, it has to do with turning your back to the royals, which is considered disrespectful.

Agnew told Insider, "The one thing they talked about a lot was no selfies, and the reason was that they didn't want people turning their backs to the royal family and the queen. And that was very important to them. You do not turn your back on the royal family, and you do not attempt to walk up and talk to them."

But let’s be honest, this “rule” seems to be getting a lot more relaxed in recent years. Camilla isn’t the first royal to snap a selfie with fans and she very likely won’t be the last.

Just last month, Prince William broke the so-called protocol during his visit to Parc y Scarlets, where he happily posed with fans. And let’s not forget Kate Middleton, who was spotted snapping selfies with fans during her royal engagements last year. Even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been seen doing the same.

So, maybe this "no selfies" rule isn’t such a hard-and-fast one after all.

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Danielle Long

Freelance Editor, News and Entertainment

Writes breaking news and entertainment content
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