Princess Anne Explains Why Royals Don't Usually Shake Hands In Documentary

Princess Anne recently opened up about how the royal family used to interact with the public and how it has changed over time.

Queen Elizabeth II started the practice of greeting members of the public face to face. Prior to this, the royal family simply drove from destination to destination by car. In ITV's new documentary "Queen of the World," the Princess Royal admitted that they did not shake hands with the public at all.

"We never shook hands. The theory was that you couldn’t shake hands with everybody, so don't start," Princess Anne said in the documentary (as quoted by Town & Country).

"So I kind of stick with that, but I noticed others don't. It's not for me to say that it's wrong, but I think the initial concept was that it was patently absurd to start shaking hands. And it seems to me that it's become a shaking hands exercise rather than a walkabout if you see what I mean, so that it has changed," she added.

Despite this, Prince Charles has shaken hands with people in public, as shown in the photo released by the publication. Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have also been photographed hugging and giving high-fives with normal citizens.

Of course, some agree with Princess Anne that the royal family shouldn't be too close with regular citizens. Previously, an etiquette expert said that royals should refrain from being too touchy with the public. "For me, royalty should be royal. They are not supposed to be like 'one of us.' They must all be nice people, yes (and they are), but it seems that it's now all a bit too chummy and informal," William Hanson wrote.

"We all know that royal funding is not the most secure fiscal fixture. The more that the royal family behaves like your average Joe, the weaker the argument is to give them that funding," he continued. "We don't fund them to be like us. If they are just like any other family, then what's the need to subsidise them? Why not give us the funding then, instead?"

Aside from shaking hands, Princess Anne also revealed in the documentary how she feels about people taking photos with their phones and iPads during royal visits.

"I'm glad that I'm not starting now because at least you had people to talk to. Now you don't really. Phones are bad enough, but the iPads—you can't even see their heads," she said. "No idea who you're talking to. I either don't bother or just say, 'Look, if you want to ask me something, I suggest you put that down.' It is weird. People don't believe they've experienced the event unless they've taken a photograph."

Meanwhile, the documentary will also feature Queen Elizabeth II's favorite dish and show the monarch giggling as a bird interrupted her speech.

"Queen of the World" will air on Tuesday at 9:15 p.m. EDT on ITV.