Princess Charlotte Brings the Royal Family Selfie Into the Next Generation During Christmas Day Interaction with Fan
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12/26/2024 04:18 PM
Once frowned upon, the royal selfie seems very much here to stay for walkabouts
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Prince William, Prince of Wales and his children Prince George of Wales (C), and Princess Charlotte of Wales hold gifts from well-wishers after attending the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on Dec. 25, 2024Selfies with the royal family have officially moved to the younger generation!
While with other members of the royal family for their annual Christmas Day walkabout with well-wishers at Sandringham, Princess Charlotte stopped to take a selfie with a member of the crowd on Dec. 25.
"Charlotte beamed with a sweet smile as she posed alongside the royal fan for the photograph," Hello! captured, adding that Charlotte, 9, then went on to accept gifts like flowers and chocolate from the enthusiastic crowd.
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Princess Charlotte of Wales attends the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on Dec. 25, 2024 in Sandringham, NorfolkSelfies were once frowned upon when it came to so-called royal protocol, but have been taken with aplomb in recent years — including one taken by none other than Taylor Swift herself this past summer alongside Charlotte, her older brother Prince George and their father Prince William backstage at one of Swift's Eras Tour shows. Prince William, 42, also snapped selfies while in Cape Town, South Africa supporting his Earthshot Prize last month.
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Prince William, Prince of Wales and Nomzamo Mbatha pose for a selfie with young people during the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Program on Nov. 4, 2024 in Cape Town, South AfricaAs PEOPLE previously reported, "While members of the royal family have historically not engaged in photo-taking with the public at events, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, seem to be relaxing the traditional stance and posing for selfies when people ask."
As the royal family's website put it, "There are no obligatory codes of behavior when greeting members of the royal family." Though the page explains how to bow and curtsy, it doesn't elaborate on specific selfie protocol.
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Catherine, Princess of Wales poses for a selfie with a concertgoer during a walkabout meeting members of the public on the Long Walk near Windsor Castle, where the Coronation Concert to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla is being held this evening on May 7, 2023 in Windsor, EnglandRelated: Kate Middleton Poses for Rare Selfies on Latest Outing — Are the Pics Becoming a Royal Trend?
In January 2023, the Princess of Wales reassured a fan who suddenly became nerve-stricken after asking to take a selfie with her. "Please don't worry. It's okay. We all get nervous," Kate said before smiling for a photo with him.
Before her death on Sept. 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth was "starting to get fed up with walkabouts" because of all of the cell phones she saw in crowds, said royal author Ian Lloyd, author of The Queen: 70 Chapters in the Life of Elizabeth II.
Walkabouts "were set up by her in the 1970s as a way of meeting people, but these days, people only want selfies and photographs of her. They just hold up their cameras or, even more alarming, their iPads, so she is faced with a wall of that when she looks at the crowd. It's horrible."
Lloyd added of the Queen's only daughter that "Princess Anne once said that, because of their phones, people now only actually believe they have seen something if they can photograph it, so they lose the immediacy, their memory. Also, there is a lack of respect in this. When the walkabout started 40 or 50 years ago, people would have never dreamed of sticking up a camera in the Queen's face."
This protocol has relaxed after her death, and other members of the royal family like Princess Eugenie, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have taken selfies with fans in the recent past. In addition to taking a selfie on Christmas Day, Princess Charlotte — along with her brothers — was inundated with gifts from the public. At one point, George turned to get the attention of his sister and pointed towards the crowd, telling her, "She's got chocolate for you," according to Hello!.
For the walkabout, Charlotte wore a blue coat dress embroidered with a tartan pattern, navy tights and black Mary Jane pumps. She coordinated with her mother Princess Kate, who wore a forest green Alexander McQueen coat and a green and blue tartan scarf.
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Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on Dec. 25, 2024 in Sandringham, NorfolkMother and daughter also coordinated looks for Kate's yearly Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, where Charlotte wore a burgundy coat dress and oversized black bow in her hair that matched her mother's red Alexander McQueen coat with a black velvet bow pinned to her collar.
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The Princess of Wales arrives for the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in London. Picture date: Friday Dec. 6, 2024 and Princess Charlotte during the 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, 2024 in London, EnglandCan't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
"Charlotte just looks absolutely gorgeous," Sophie Mirman, founder and creative director of Trotters (the brand responsible for Charlotte's burgundy coat) told PEOPLE. "It's wonderful to see her growing up in our designs — does become very special, especially at these big occasions."
