Why Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle Personally Greet Fans During Public Engagements

Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and the other members of the royal family shake hands with the public during their official engagements.

In the documentary “Queen of the World,” Princess Anne explained that in the past, they weren’t allowed to shake hands with royal fans because if they shook the hand of one person, they have to shake the hands of everyone else.

But this changed when Queen Elizabeth II decided to reach out to the fans that were waiting for her outdoors nearly half a century ago.

“In the 1970s, the Queen decided to shake things up. She wanted to say hello to the crowds – and the walkabout was born,” the narrator of the documentary said.

According to The Telegraph, the monarch’s first walkabout took place during her royal tour of Australia and New Zealand with Prince Philip. The publication noted that shaking hands with the public allowed the royal couple to meet ordinary people and not just the officials and dignitaries.

The practice of talking and shaking the hands of royal fans is more common when members of the British clan travel abroad. However, they also talk to their supporters during their visit to the English cities outside of London. For instance, Prince Harry and Markle met their fans during their first walkabout in Nottingham months ago.

However, not all royals followed in the Queen’s footsteps. Until today, Princess Anne still doesn’t shake hands with fans. On the contrary, Middleton is so into interacting with the crowds that she gets teased for it.

In 2016, the Duchess of Cambridge told Vanity Fair, “There’s a real art to walkabouts, everybody teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting. I still have to learn a bit more, and to pick up a few more tips, I suppose.”

“Queen of the World” will premiere on Oct. 1 on HBO.