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Prince William broke royal protocol during Euro 2022 final – but it was ‘deliberate’, former royal butler says
Published 11:50 5 Aug 2022 BST
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The former butler suggested it was a sign of Prince William emulating his mother
A former royal butler has suggested that Prince William 'deliberately' broke royal protocol at the Euro 2022 final last Sunday. The Duke of Cambridge was at Wembley to witness England's Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 after extra time and end the country's 56-year wait for a major international trophy. After the final whistle had gone, he was part of the trophy presentation on the pitch and handed out the runners up and winners' medals to each of the players. Clearly delighted by the victory himself, he gave each of the England players a hug and words of congratulation. A former royal butler has now revealed that, in the spur of the moment, Prince William actually broke royal protocol, which states that members of the royal family should only offer formal handshakes during official engagements. [caption id="attachment_352261" align="alignnone" width="2048"]
Prince William gave each of the England players a hug as he handed them their winners' medals (Getty)[/caption]
But Grant Harrold, who used to be Prince Charles' butler and is a royal expert, also said this was clearly a "deliberate" choice from the duke.
He told OK! magazine: “Historically, there was a rule with royals that you could look but you couldn’t touch.
“If you met a royal, you could look at them and if they offered you a handshake, you were to accept it.
“That was a lot to do with the mystique surrounding the family but also for security reasons, too.”
[caption id="attachment_352263" align="alignnone" width="1463"]
Prince William congratulating winning goalscorer Chloe Kelly (Getty)[/caption]
Harrold explained that veering away from this tradition was another way in which Prince William is making sure the royals are representative of the modern day. He also suggested that "this physical contact and hugging" could be a long-lasting impact of the way he was brought up by his mother, Princess Diana.
He continued: “I think William and the other younger royals have realised that they can’t get away with being aloof.
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Prince William congratulating winning goalscorer Chloe Kelly (Getty)[/caption]
Harrold explained that veering away from this tradition was another way in which Prince William is making sure the royals are representative of the modern day. He also suggested that "this physical contact and hugging" could be a long-lasting impact of the way he was brought up by his mother, Princess Diana.
He continued: “I think William and the other younger royals have realised that they can’t get away with being aloof.
“The Queen can get away with it because she’s the Queen and she’s from a different era, but the younger royals have been brought up very differently.
“Diana was a hugger and I think that this physical contact and hugging people has a lot to do with how William was raised.
“It won’t feel unnatural to William - if anything, it’d feel more uncomfortable if it was just a strict handshake. As well as this, seeing royals hug makes them relevant and modern.”
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