King Charles III is one of the richest, highest-profile people in the world,
but he still can't just do whatever he wants. When he's broken the strict
protocols royals are expected to live by, people have definitely taken notice.
According to E! News, it was protocol for members of the royal family to give birth
to their children at home, and the husbands were almost never present
for labor. But that rather outdated rule stopped when the then-Prince Charles was
present for the births of both of his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
William was born on June 21, 1982, and he's the closest to the crown to
ever be born in a hospital. The couple welcomed him at St. Mary's Hospital's
Lindo Wing so they could enjoy sizable hospital suites and meals. In a first,
Charles witnessed the birth from start to finish, calling it the "very adult thing to do."
When asked outside the hospital shortly after William's birth
if the baby looked like him, Charles quipped,
"No, he's lucky enough not to."
Even Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, reportedly said,
Any fan of "The Crown" can tell you that the queen was not behind the idea of Charles and
Diana divorcing until it couldn't be avoided. And when it finally happened, Charles broke
royal protocol by becoming the first heir to the throne to call it quits on his marriage.
The couple announced their intentions to separate in 1992, 11 years after their wedding
which was watched by almost a billion people on TV. Divorce was not initially an option,
but after Diana's infamous BBC interview where she admitted that there were "three" in her marriage,
the queen urged the couple to divorce. By 1996, Charles and Diana came to a settlement.
Charles would then become the first heir to the throne to get remarried as well. In 2005,
nine years after his divorce and eight years after Diana's tragic death, Charles tied the knot once
again, with his longtime paramour Camilla Parker-Bowles. Camilla assumed the title of
the Duchess of Cornwall, and when Charles became king, Camilla took on the title of queen consort.
A 14-year-old Prince Charles was caught breaking not only royal protocol, but also the law when
he ordered a drink at a pub in the Crown Inn in Stornoway, Scotland. The Scottish Daily Express
notes that Charles was attending Gordonstoun School at the time. He ordered a cherry brandy
while hanging out with some classmates. It was not only his first drink ever,
but he paid for it despite being the crown prince of the United Kingdom. It cost him just
over two shillings, and he was served despite being four years below the legal drinking age.
When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 and Charles took to the throne,
the pub — which is still in operation — released a statement both mourning
the nation's loss and recalling a rule-breaking teenage Charles.
Tom Strathmore, the owner of the Crown Inn, told the Scottish Daily Express,
When you think of King Charles III and his rather short-lived marriage to Diana Spencer,
you likely tend to associate it with affairs, tabloid wars, and scandal. But as it turns out,
Diana and Charles broke royal protocol several times with their public displays of affection.
Harper's Bazaar notes that the then-Prince and Princess of Wales embraced each other
quite often in public. And as any royal watcher knows, showing affection in front of eagle-eyed
fans isn't something that is done often. Even so, starting in 1981, on the afternoon
of their wedding, Diana and Charles showed quite a bit of PDA, shocking royal fans.
Of course, the couple's balcony kiss is iconic. The then-prince was also
pictured tenderly kissing Diana on the hand while honeymooning in Balmoral Scotland,
and if you didn't know any better, you'd think that the two were hopelessly in
love. Throughout the years, Diana and Charles kissed each other at several public events,
most often at polo matches throughout the 1980s. And while it may not be as romantic as a kiss,
they were likewise pictured dancing together in Australia on two separate occasions.
Diana isn't the only person who has kissed Charles in public. And we're not talking about his wife,
Camilla, either, though they've exchanged a few smooches as well.
Harper's Bazaar notes that there isn't a strict, set-in-stone code for how members of the public
must interact with the royal family, aside from being respectful and polite. Some people perform
a "polite neck bow" or a "small curtsy" while others opt for a professional yet
polite handshake. But a few women just went for it and planted a kiss on the then-Prince Charles.
During a walkabout in Australia in 1977, a 16-year-old named Gilda Larbey grabbed the royal
by the neck and kissed him. Two years later, also in Australia, model Jane Priest similarly greeted
the royal with a kiss while on the beach. Charles also interacted with a fan in South Africa who
wore his face on her shirt, as well as a little girl in Romania by the name of Antonia Paduraru,
who hugged the then-prince and gave him a peck on the cheek while he was on a royal tour.
It's happened more recently, too. Namely, the day after he became king:
"I think people were quite overcome with emotion."
Along with kissing, royals are discouraged from signing autographs, taking selfies with fans,
or hugging their adoring public. All of these are potentially security risks
for various reasons. But King Charles III has done all three.
When Charles was visiting families in Cornwall whose
homes had been damaged in a 2010 flood, he asked,
A mother in the crowd responded,
Though he looked stunned for a moment,
the future king turned to his security and asked for a scrap of paper and a
pen. He wrote "Charles 2010" and handed it over, apologizing for his "shaky writing."
On a 2017 official visit to Romania, Charles actually hugged a young fan of his back,
the Daily Mail reported. During a walking tour of Bucharest,
11-year-old Valentin Blacker — the son of a local figure who was a friend of Charles — was
pictured "throwing his arms around" the royal. Charles hugged the young boy and
was pictured smiling as he did so. Later on in the day, the young boy's father said of Charles,
And while on a trip to Canada to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in 2022,
Charles and Camilla visited Yellowknife, a First Nation territory, and the surrounding
areas. Two women captured Charles in a selfie, visibly throwing the royal for
a loop as they attempted to do so. When he grasped what was going on,
Charles smiled for the snap. The royal family's official Instagram account even
reposted a photo of the women taking the selfie, so clearly the protocol break wasn't that bad.
There are a lot of rules when it comes to royals and their food. For instance,
guests cannot start eating until the king or queen does, and they can't eat once the
monarch has finished with their meal. Hello! Magazine notes that the late Queen Elizabeth
II had a number of additional rules regarding cuisine. She prohibited royals from eating garlic,
as well as shellfish or raw meat. Why? In addition to the risk of very bad breath,
apparently, there was a worry of potential food poisoning, which would keep a royal away from
public duty for too long. Former royal butler Grant Harrold explained to the publication,
But despite his mother's steadfast rules, Charles engaged in the messy act of eating oysters — a
food the queen and her husband Prince Philip reportedly hated — while attending the 2013
Whitstable Oyster Festival. Charles was seen gulping down one of the delicacies, and he
rather seemed to enjoy himself. You know what they say: there's nothing better than forbidden fruit.
Even though members of the royal family publicly support charities and other
organizations that tackle big issues such as childhood education, food insecurity,
and the arts, they're expected to keep their political opinions to themselves.
Queen Elizabeth II worked with prime ministers and other politicians across the spectrum of ideology,
and she never expressed her own thoughts on the issues of the day. This kept her
above reproach and allowed people from all walks of life to identify with her.
But Charles, at least before he became king, has not abided by such royal protocol. He made
his political thoughts well known throughout his time as Prince of
Wales. He has promised to keep his political beliefs closer to the vest as king, however.
"The two situations are completely different."
In January 2022, Charles wrote a column for Newsweek about one of
the issues closest to his heart — the environment — urging leaders worldwide
to act swiftly to address climate change. He wrote,
Just a few months before he became king, in June 2022,
Charles also came under fire for private conversations in which he reportedly
criticized the government's policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.