During a recent visit to the Channel Islands with Queen Camilla, the King made headlines when he allowed a 91-year-old well-wisher to kiss him on the cheek.
This rare and intimate gesture was captured on video and widely shared.
The act has sparked a conversation about the evolving nature of royal interactions.
Keep scrolling for more details!
What Actually Happened?
King Charles recently made the headlines by doing something that Queen Elizabeth ‘would never do.’ During a recent visit to the Channel Islands with Queen Camilla, he broke a royal tradition. At St. Peter Port seafront, the British Monarch allowed the 91-year-old Kathleen Moriarty to kiss him on the cheek.
In a video shared by the BBC on X and also by Bustle, King Charles engaged in a brief conversation with an elderly woman in the crowd. In an unusual gesture, the King then offered his cheek to her. Following this memorable exchange, the woman recounted to the BBC that she had requested permission to kiss the King, to which he consented.
She expressed that the kiss was spontaneous and thoroughly enjoyed, describing the King as lovely and expressing her satisfaction with the moment. She humorously added, “I thought if all these young dolly birds can do it, this old lady can!” But let us tell you that there are strict traditional manners when meeting a royal.
King Charles Breaks Royal Tradition In A Way Queen Elizabeth ‘Never Would’
Accordingly, men should give a little bow (just nod your head and neck, no need to bend over), while women can offer a small curtsy. If that feels too old-fashioned, a simple handshake is also perfectly acceptable. However, kissing isn’t mentioned in the official guidelines, so it’s best to avoid it. But this time, King Charles defied the tradition.
According to reports, after a cheeky kiss, he shook hands with Kathleen and smiled. Natasha Livingstone, The Daily Mail’s royal correspondent, provided some perspective on the change in the royals’ attitudes. She highlighted that such a gesture of intimacy might have elicited a very different reaction during the late queen’s reign.
She suggested that King Charles’s conduct at the event reflects his relaxed approach to engaging with enthusiastic well-wishers. Meanwhile, Andrew Morton, author of Diana: Her True Story and The Queen: Her Life, stated, “Queen Elizabeth would have ‘never’ permitted anyone to kiss her in public.”
He noted that she maintained a ‘different kind of style.’ Has the King made a blunder? Well, maybe! We’ll have to see whether King Charles continues to get more criticism for his ‘kissing’ act!
