Prince Williams first royal protocol shake-up revealed amid mission to modernize monarchy: Overnight adjustment

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has begun a gradual modernization of the royal family’s protocols, introducing changes to formalities that might feel outdated in today’s world.The future king has repeatedly demonstrated his modern approach to royal life and recently reinforced that image by scrapping his late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 possib...