Prince William Once Broke Protocol to Comfort a Crying Pensioner — and Diana Would've Been Proud
As heir to the throne, Prince William plans to modernize the monarchy when King, breaking free from certain age-old royal traditions. The Prince of Wales has never shied away from challenging royal protocol by hugging strangers and snapping selfies with people during public outings. In one such memorable event, he embraced a weeping pensioner during a 2022 visit to Glasgow, a gesture that would have likely made his late mother, Princess Diana, proud. Diana was known for being tactile at engagements, even avoiding gloves to have a personal connection with the public.
The Prince and Princess of Wales had paid a visit to the Wheatley Group to hear about the challenges of homelessness in Scotland. As they greeted fans in a walkabout, the Prince spotted William Burns, looking visibly emotional. When William approached Mr Burns to hear about his struggles, he was overcome with emotions when the elderly man opened up about the death of his wife. In a poignant gesture, he ripped up the royal rulebook and hugged Burns as he cried on his shoulder. For those unversed, royal protocol forbids royals from hugging each other in public, let alone members of the crowd.
Speaking about the heartwarming incident, Burns later told the Daily Mail, "It was the way he hugged me. I didn’t expect that, really, to be honest... I have never felt anything like it in my entire life before and my existence as a human being."
After William's photo with the elderly man went viral, it sparked multiple comparisons with his late mother, Diana. The late Princess was never afraid to break protocol and hug people during public engagements, especially at a time when defying tradition was frowned upon. Eleri Lynn, a royal exhibition curator, once told PEOPLE, "Diana abandoned the royal protocol of wearing gloves because she liked to hold hands when visiting people or shake hands and have direct contact." The Princess also made headlines when she boldly shook hands with an AIDS patient without gloves in April 1987, defying the widespread stigma surrounding the disease.
As for William, the Prince of Wales has previously shunned protocol and hugged members of the public at other engagements too. Most recently, he hugged Leah Williamson, captain of the Lionesses, when England triumphed over Spain at the Women's EURO 2025 matches. During an OBE investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on May 13, he warmly also embraced teacher Wendy Daunt following a heartfelt conversation about his late mother. She later told the BBC, "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."