Queen Elizabeth Reacted In This Surprising Way To Prince William Breaking Royal Tradition

While Britain’s royal family is known to follow strict rules and protocols, it appears they’re not always strongly enforced.

Last January, it was noted that the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was once surprisingly in favor of her grandson deciding not to follow in the family's footsteps. As reported by Express, the Queen was “delighted” when Prince William, who is third in line to the throne, broke tradition by making a unique choice when it came to his education.

Author and royal expert Katie Nicholl wrote in her 2010 book “William and Harry: Behind the Palace Walls” that the Duke of Cambridge decided to forgo attendance at Oxford or Cambridge in favor of the University of St Andrews. She explained, “While the royal family have traditionally gone to Oxford or Cambridge, Prince William was set on breaking 150 years of tradition by going to Scotland’s oldest university.”

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This break in tradition was said to result in a "delighted" Queen due to Scottish King James V studying there in the early sixteenth century. Nicholl noted, “The Queen Mother, who William visited at Balmoral for tea before he arrived for his first day, also shared a connection with the university, from which she received an honorary degree in 1929.”

However, it seems the Queen’s favor of the educational institution was not Prince William’s main reason for selecting the school. While William’s own father, Prince Charles, his uncle Edward, and his great-grandfather King George VI all attended Cambridge, the biographer said St Andrews’ four-year art history course is what drew the young prince in.

“...[It] is considered one of the best in the country,” she said of the course of study, adding it “appealed” to William who “wanted to postpone his royal engagements for as long as possible.”