Daniel Marland
Prince William 'deliberately' broke royal protocol following England's Euro 2022 final win over Germany according to a former royal butler.
The Lionesses ran out 2-1 winners at Wembley on Sunday to claim their first major honour and England's first trophy in 56 years.
Chloe Kelly's goal in extra time gave England the victory and the Duke of Cambridge, who is a huge football fan, handed the teams their medals at full-time.
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He decided to give every woman a hug as they collected their medal and celebrated their massive achievement.
It means he technically broke a royal rule, which states members of the family must restrict themselves to handshakes during formal events.
Grant Harrold, royal expert and the former butler of Prince Charles, claims the prince knew exactly what he was doing and made a 'deliberate choice' with his actions.
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Harrold told OK!: "Historically, there was a rule with royals that you could look but you couldn’t touch.
"If you met a royal, you could look at them and if they offered you a handshake, you were to accept it.
"That was a lot to do with the mystique surrounding the family but also for security reasons, too."
Prince William is regarded as a new generation of royal and Harrold thinks his methods are for a modern era.
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Older traditions have been replaced with updated practices in recent years.
He added: "I think William and the other younger royals have realised that they can’t get away with being aloof.
"The Queen can get away with it because she’s the Queen and she’s from a different era, but the younger royals have been brought up very differently.
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"Diana was a hugger and I think that this physical contact and hugging people has a lot to do with how William was raised.
"It won’t feel unnatural to William - if anything, it’d feel more uncomfortable if it was just a strict handshake. As well as this, seeing royals hug makes them relevant and modern."
Prince William has taken a more prominent role in recent years and Harrold speculates his attitude will help show a more 'human side' to the Royal Family.
He continued: "As he does more work and gets to grips with his role, he wants people to see the real him which is why we’ve seen a lot more affection recently. He’s really eased into his role."
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Prince William is regularly in attendance for games at the national stadium, including the FA Cup final and Community Shield.