In the past, members of the Royal Family would often avoid taking photographs with members of the public.
The late Queen Elizabeth was said to particularly dislike people attempting to take selfies with their mobile phones and would even politely decline requests.
As for King Charles, while he is known to smile for the occasional photo, he has, in the past, expressed his dislike for selfies.
There is no official protocol on selfies, but the royals have previously appeared to shy away from taking them. However, Prince William seems to have become a selfie king in recent times – particularly with video messages.
Back in November, he became a sensation on TikTok after he filmed a video with a student, telling her lecturer why she would be late to class. The prince also recorded footage and smiled for a selfie with Robert Irwin, the son of the late Australian conservationist Steve Irwin, during his visit to South Africa.
More recently, William filmed a video message in a selfie style to wish England Rugby Union coach Kevin Sinfield good luck for his charity challenge in memory of Rob Burrow.
The prince also posed for photos with The Passage client Leo Scanlon while serving Christmas dinner at the homeless charity in London in early December.
William has increasingly taken photographs with fans over the years too.
William takes a selfie with a member of the community during a visit to Tiber in Liverpool yesterday
Nomzamo Mbatha takes a selfie with Prince William at the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Programme in November
The prince smiling for a photograph with The Passage client Leo Scanlon while he plates up Christmas Dinner at the homeless charity in London
Prince William took to social media to film a heartwarming clip from him and Kate Middleton, as he wished The England rugby union coach ‘good luck’
During a visit to Ulster University’s Belfast City Campus Centre in November, the Prince of Wales met pupil Samantha Johnson.
Samantha asked William if he could explain on camera why she would be late for her class. She later uploaded the footage to TikTok. During the video, Samantha said: ‘Yeah, just tell her why we’re late! Just say sorry,’ before William asked: ‘To Lesley? Are you recording?’
To which the student then replied: ‘Yeah.’
William then said: ‘Lesley, I’m very sorry we’re late but they seem to be caught up and they wouldn’t believe that you were here, so just say hi.’
Samantha then thanked William for helping to prove to her lecturer that she had met the future King.
William pulled a similar stunt with Australian conservationist and TV personality Robert Irwin, during a visit to South Africa in November.
Irwin recorded a selfie video with William and asked him what his ‘favourite African animal was’.
Robert Irwin, the son of the late Australian conservationist Steve Irwin, and the Prince of Wales taking a video selfie during William’s visit to South Africa in November
William came across student Samantha Johnson who asked if he could explain on camera why she would be late for her class during a visit to Ulster University’s Belfast City Campus Centre
The prince smiling with American actor Billy Porter, Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha at the Earthshot Prize event in November
William answered: ‘Oh, it’s a tough question, it’s a really tough question. My children ask me this regularly. I think I’m going to have to say the cheetah. Fantastic animal.’
Robert then told the camera his favourite was the chameleon.
The Prince of Wales ripped up the royal rulebook again last year when he video called a group of school children during an engagement.
He had paid a visit to a hospital and ambulance station in Ipswich, and Kerry Gaskin, a service delivery manager at the East of England Ambulance Service, made a batch of royal-themed cupcakes for the occasion.
Footage posted on TikTok showed William on a video call to Kerry’s son and his school friends.
During the call, the Prince says: ‘Who’s the guy, to the corner?’ and points to the pupil as the others laugh and the camera focuses on the bashful boy, who giggles and bows his head.
Amid the giggles, William asks: ‘Are you guys doing any work?’ to which the chorus of pupils replies: ‘No!’
The pupil’s mother chimes in and tells the children: ‘You should be’, before they inform her they’re on their lunchbreak.
The Prince of Wales surprising a group of schoolchildren with a video call during an engagement last year
William was on the video call with Kelly Gaskin, a service delivery manager at the East of England Ambulance Service, who had made a batch of cupcakes for the royal visit
William then makes another joke to his eager audience, telling one young boy: ‘Your mother’s feeding me her cakes.’
He then holds up a cupcake to the camera, quipping: ‘They’re not very good!’
The children then burst into laughter as the prince adds: ‘I’ve told her she wouldn’t win Bake Off.’
William then shares a giggle with the pupil’s mother, as she can be heard saying: ‘Right, we’re going to go.’
However, William hasn’t always been so open to being on camera and he reportedly once told a royal fan he was ‘allergic’ to them.
The prince has also openly spoken about his thoughts on mobile phones in general.
Earlier this year, during a visit to OnSide Youth Zone in the London borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, William urged people to spend less time on the device.
He told one youngster who confessed to scrolling: ‘The grown-ups are guilty of it too.’
William added, ‘We have got to be better at it’, with people across the generations spending ‘ages on our phones’.
William smiling for a selfie with members of the Air Ambulance crew during a visit to RAF Northolt, West London, earlier this year
The prince posing for photographs with well-wishers in Singapore last year
Still, the royal has taken many of photographs with fans over the years.
As far back as 2014, William posed for a selfie with a well-wisher at Sandringham.
In New York City last year, he also took photos with students when he visited the Billion Oyster Project working to restore the oyster reefs to New York Harbour by 2035.
Earlier this year, he smiled for a selfie with members of the Air Ambulance crew during a visit to RAF Northolt in West London.
