7 Times the Royals Completely Ignored Their Own Rules (4 of 4)

Queen Elizabeth invited a non-royal to celebrate Christmas

Christmas at Sandringham has long been one of the royal family’s most famous private traditions. Usually, the unmarried partners did not get the full royal Christmas invite, but in 2017, Queen Elizabeth invited Meghan, even though she was still only engaged to Prince Harry.

In 2018, Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, had also been invited or at least welcomed, though she did not actually attend Christmas at Sandringham. Then in 2019, Princess Beatrice’s fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, joined the royal walk to church at Sandringham before he and Beatrice were married.

Prince William and Kate taking selfies with fans

For years, selfies with royals were treated as a no-no. It wasn’t one of those ancient laws passed on from generation to generation, but royals were told to avoid them, as they’re informal, a pain to manage, and can end badly even with security on high alert.

With that said, the most chill royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, didn’t seem to care too much about any of that. In 2023, during their visit to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, William and Kate happily posed for selfies with staff and random fans. Instead of maintaining a traditional royal demeanor, they embraced the moment and engaged with their subjects. It’s probably the most harmless royal “rule break” out there, but you can’t live in the past.