Kate Middleton Keeps Breaching Protocol and That Makes Her the ‘Perfect Royal’
There is something the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) has been doing for years that is against protocol but it makes her even more endearing to the public, according to someone who used to work in the royal household.
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the now-monarch, Harrold’s duties included those of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. He also looked after Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate whenever they stayed at Highgrove House.
Since leaving the royal household, he’s become one of the U.K.’s leading etiquette experts, a best-selling author, and a royal commentator.
Harrold explained how Kate met with Anthony Gledhill, who is a former Metropolitan Police officer, as they both marked Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday. During their conversation, Gledhill put his arms around Kate’s arms before they hugged one another.
Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “Kate is embracing the former officer back, which is quite sweet. But it is technically a breach of protocol. You’re not supposed to touch anyone in the royal family … She is being the perfect royal and just going with it. [The princess] has a very approachable and likeable way about her. Kate is not going to turn around and say, ‘You can’t do that’ and pull away from him.
“The golden rule I always say is treat them like a fine object in a museum. You can look, you can admire, you can comment on — but never touch. Bowing and curtsying is only if you’re a British citizen or from the Commonwealth, and even then, it’s only if you want to. If you bow or curtsy, you’re doing it to the title, not the person. Those titles are only recognized in the U.K. and the Commonwealth. Some people still do it, but you don’t have to.”
Harrold’s comments come at a time when a few royals have embraced hugging. Meghan Markle had been seen on several occasions hugging people and when the Duchess of Sussex famously questioned if her sister-in-law was a “hugger” in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the Princess of Wales was photographed hugging several people.
However, some of the older royals still follow that protocol Harrold is referring to as King Charles and Queen Camilla do not go around hugging people. And it’s a rarity for the monarch’s siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, to even shake hands during walkabouts.
In the documentary Queen of the World, Princess Anne addressed her decision not to touch or shake hands when greeting members of the public, explaining, “I mean we never shook hands. The theory was that you couldn’t shake hands with everybody, so don’t start. So I kind of stick with that, but I notice others don’t.”
