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King Charles is ushering in a bold new era for the House of Windsor. He shattered royal tradition with a move so unlike the reign of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, the royal family might never be the same.

King Charles shattered royal tradition. Has the House of Windsor changed?

King Charles has never outwardly appeared to be a warm, fuzzy monarch. When interacting with the public, he very much followed a pattern of rigidity set by his mother, Queen Elizabeth.

However, as Charles has aged, he appears to have changed his ways. Photos of his interactions with his grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George, show him behaving lovingly and not as standoffish as he appeared with his sons Princes William and Harry. Now, it seems as if the king is extending that warmth to the public.

Charles broke royal tradition and ushered in a new era of the House of Windsor by sharing a group hug with the New Zealand women’s rugby team members at Buckingham Palace. He was visiting the Black Ferns when player Ayesha Leti-I’iga asked if they could hug.

He responded, “A hug? Why not?” Then, Charles shattered royal tradition and hugged the team member.

Typically, monarchs and the public do not engage in those kinds of interactions. King Charles usually keeps a distance, except for shaking hands, a standard set by his mother throughout her 70-year reign. Due to his ongoing cancer battle, Charles has refrained from getting too close to others outside of his inner circle.

However, Charles was one of many monarchs who had broken the rules. There was one time when Queen Elizabeth broke royal protocol, making national headlines.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth hugged a stranger

Queen Elizabeth visited the United States in 1991. She toured Washington, D.C., and visited new homeowners. 

Then-Mayor Sharon Pratt shared a story about the queen’s visit to WUSA9. “Everybody had been briefed. I mean, the White House, everyone, the protocol offices, ‘you can’t do this, you can’t shake the queen’s hand unless she extends it. She’s never to eat in public.'”

Pratt remembers Alice Frazier as a proud new homeowner on Drake Place Southeast who was eager to welcome the queen into her home. 

“She might come in here, I might shake her hand, might hug her,” Frazier said. And that is what she did, shocking the monarch.

“Alice didn’t do it to be forward. She did it because she was just happy and innocent and enthusiastic. And Queen Elizabeth received it that way. You know, she was quite a lovely person,” Pratt concluded.

What is the proper royal protocol on hugging?

King Charles shaking hands with the public
King Charles shaking hands with the public | Frank Augstein – WPA Pool/Getty Images
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Typically, royals do not hug members of the public, elected officials, or any others they may interact with daily. Handshakes have always been a part of royal protocol.

Monarchs must extend their hands first. Then once they let go, the other person does as well.

The correct formal address on presentation to the king is “Your Majesty” and subsequently “Sir.” For female royal family members, the first address is conventionally “Your Royal Highness” and subsequently “Ma’am.”

Bowing or curtsying isn’t strictly necessary when greeting a royal. However, the royal family’s official website says that “many people wish to observe the traditional forms.”

King Charles has not commented on this public exchange of affection. Nor has the palace shared if this would be considered a new normal within the House of Windsor.

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