Prince William has kickstarted modernizing the British monarchy by scrapping a longstanding “no selfies” rule put in place by his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Prince of Wales, 42, has begun a gradual modernization of the royal family’s protocols, introducing changes to formalities that might feel outdated in today’s world.
The future king has repeatedly demonstrated his modern approach to royal life and recently reinforced that image by scrapping his late grandmother’s strict photo rule, which had also been maintained by King Charles.
“William appears to be taking a new approach to public engagements,” according to the Express‘s royal editor Emily Ferguson, referencing his recent 2-day solo trip to Estonia.
“On the first day of his trip, he fully embraced the crowds and appeared to revel in the dozens of requests for selfies, happily taking people’s phones to take the snap himself.”
The outlet noted that the father of three has also made a change in his attitude toward interacting with members of the public.
“The prince always used to spend time greeting well-wishers but never with the same enthusiasm as his father,” she explained.
“But that’s changed in recent months, William is spending longer and longer on walkabouts and is more than happy to pose for endless pictures.”
Elsewhere, William has reportedly made a major change to international royal tours by making the majority of trips senior royals take short-haul rather than lengthy visits.
“What you saw last week is a short, impactful trip that showcased an important issue. It’s a model you’re likely to see more of,” a source told The Sunday Times, referring William’s recent solo trip to Estonia.
Indeed, the heir to the throne spent less than two days on the ground in Estonia, where where he donned combat fatigues and rode in a tank as he joined British troops on a field exercise, before returning home.
Such trips allow the royals to reach as many countries as possible within only a short amount of time.
It was revealed last year that William has also streamlined communication behind closed doors by modernizing it’s standard approach.
Alastair Martin, who has worked under both King Charles and William at the Duchy of Cornwall, told the Times that the prince gave him his cellphone number in what he described as an “overnight adjustment.”
“If you want me, just get me, just message me,” Martin claims William told him, before getting in contact with him via WhatsApp.
Martin said the move displayed a stark difference from how the king communicated with his employees, which typically saw him hand out his landline number instead.
“That’s how [William] works and he’s very involved. There will be weekends when my WhatsApp messages will be in double figures and I will be very responsive,” he told the outlet.
“If something has gone well or badly, I will want to tell my boss and he’ll be straight back.”
Elsewhere, William has also expressed his desire to prioritize “projects not patronages,” insiders claim.
William Hague, the former Foreign Secretary who has collaborated closely with the future king for more than a decade, praised the prince’s proactive attitude in championing causes.
He previously told The Times, “He phoned me up when I left Government. He had this idea—Governments were working slowly on illegal wildlife trade, and he asked, ‘Why don’t we get the private sector involved?’”
“William isn’t interested in lengthy meetings or endless discussions. I’ve often heard him say, ‘There’s been too much talk, we need action,’” Hague went on.
“William is friendly and personable, but he is results-driven. You wouldn’t want to tell him you’ve made no progress. He wants to see real change.”
