16 photos that show how meeting a royal has changed through the years

Talia LakritzSep 16, 2022, 01:44 IST

A boy grabs an impromptu selfie with Queen Elizabeth in 2014.Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Members of the British royal family used to be distant and inaccessible to the general public.
Interacting with present and future monarchs has become less stuffy over time.

Members of the royal family used to be distant and inaccessible to the general public. But in an age where royals marry commoners and have their own Instagram accounts, interacting with present and future monarchs has become less stuffy.

Here's how meeting members of the royal family has changed over the years.

The traditional way to greet a member of the royal family has always been to bow or curtsy.

A woman curtsies to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1939.AP

Curtsying involves placing one leg behind the other and bending forward slightly.

Then-Princess Elizabeth greets a ballerina in 1949.AP

The proper way to bow to a royal is a neck bow, inclining just one's head.

Former US Ambassador to England Walter J. Annenberg bows to Queen Elizabeth in 1976.AP

On walkabouts, older generations of royals generally kept a respectful distance from the crowds.

A girl leans over a police barricade to welcome the Queen Elizabeth at the Barbados Airport in 1989.AP

Princess Diana set a new tone for the way royals can interact with the public.

The Princess of Wales helping a patient at Mother Teresa's hospice in Calcutta, India, in 1992.Jayne Fincher/Getty Images

She became known as the "people's princess" for her warm, hands-on approach, especially with individuals or groups who were stigmatized.

Princess Diana hugs and plays with an HIV-positive baby in 1991.Dave Caulkin, File/AP

She famously shook the hand of a patient with AIDS to dispel the incorrect belief that HIV or AIDS could be transmitted by touch.

Diana shakes the hand of an AIDS patient in 1987.John Redman/AP

Prince William appears to have inherited her informal, personable approach.

Prince William hugs a worker during a visit to the Royal Marsden in 2019.Frank Augstein, Pool/AP

Kate Middleton doesn't always stick to royal protocol either.

Kate Middleton hugs a girl at Shooting Star House Children's Hospice in 2013.BRADLEY PAGE/AFP via Getty Images

When he was a working royal, Prince Harry was known to be a bit of a goofball on royal engagements.

Prince Harry and Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt pose at the Usain Bolt Track at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, in 2012.Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

In her official capacity as Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle also appeared to prefer hugs to curtsies.

Meghan Markle hugs a woman at the Royal Foundation Forum in 2018.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The traditional greetings are still used by some today, but regular handshakes are also perfectly appropriate.

Prince William shakes hands with members of the public gathered at Windsor Castle to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

With the rise of smartphones, royal selfies are a new, rare opportunity.

A boy grabs an impromptu selfie with Queen Elizabeth in 2014.Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Selfies with royals are usually prohibited in large crowds, but they'll make occasional exceptions.

A woman takes a selfie with King Charles in 2015.Lynne Cameron - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Since Markle and Harry are no longer working members of the royal family, they have more freedom to greet members of the public however they'd like.

Meghan Markle stops for a selfie during the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 - One Year To Go events in September 2022.Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023

Even Queen Elizabeth herself eschewed royal protocol every now and then.

Queen Elizabeth greets Michelle Obama in 2009.Daniel Hambury, Pool/AP

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