'Emotional' Prince William Breaks Royal Protocol While Talking to a Woman About Mom Diana

Prince William is generally known to be a stickler for royal protocol, much like his grandmother, the late Queen. The Prince of Wales, as next in line to the throne, can hardly afford a lapse. However, during a recent investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, he shunned protocol in a rare display of emotion. Following a heartfelt conversation about his late mother, Princess Diana, William shared an embrace with teacher Wendy Daunt.

Daunt, who’s deaf and honored for her work with the deaf community, opened up about her meaningful conversation with William. She told the BBC, “I wanted to tell him how proud the deaf community was of his mother, Princess Diana. The respect for BSL that she gave, we've kept that all these years, and will never forget that.” The teacher explained that when the Prince held out to shake his hand, she didn't reciprocate the gesture. She added, “Deaf culture is we always have a hug, so I quickly said, without thinking, 'Can I have a hug?' His eyes were looking from one to the other, thinking, 'No, we're not allowed,' but he did.”

According to Tatler, it's generally considered against protocol for royals to hug one another in public, let alone the people they meet at official engagements. The teacher also shared William’s sweet wish for his eldest son, which touched her. She explained, “Prince William did say that I could teach Prince George BSL. But I think it would be better for a younger person, a boy of his own age perhaps, to teach him football signs.” If Prince George were to learn BSL (British Sign Language), he would be carrying forward the legacy of his late grandmother, Diana. Diana had attended the British Deaf Association conference in 1992, and she came on stage to receive a book. Daunt added that when she signed the book in BSL, the deaf people in the crowd were in awe of her thoughtfulness.

In a way, with his recent break from protocol, William was taking a page from his late mother’s book. The ‘People’s Princess’ was celebrated for being tactile and friendly with the public. In 1987, Diana made a powerful statement when she visited the UK's first HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital. During the visit, she boldly shook hands with an AIDS patient without wearing gloves. The gesture generated headlines for its groundbreaking act at a time when stigma around the disease was rampant.

King Charles has also been known to occasionally shun the ‘no-hugging’ royal protocol. Tatler reports that in September 2024, Charles met the New Zealand Women's Rugby Team, who made an unusual request, saying, “Yeah, we all wanted a hug.” To their shock, the monarch replied, “A hug? Why not!” and embraced the team. He later thanked the team for their 'warm hug,' which he described as 'very healing.'