King Charles Broke Royal Protocol in a Big Way

King Charles isn’t a regular king, he’s a cool king. And to prove it, he just broke a major royal rule during a recent trip to the Channel Islands. During the getaway, which included an appearance from Queen Camilla, the monarchs met with well-wishers at the St. Peter Port seafront. At that stop, 91-year-old Kathleen Moriarty planted a kiss on the king’s cheek—after asking, of course.

In a video posted to X by the BBC and shared by Bustle, “Charles is seen exchanging words with an elderly woman in the crowd. In a rare move, the King then offers his cheek to the woman.”

“I said to him, ‘Please, can I give you a kiss?’” Moriarty told the BBC after the special moment. “And he gives me his cheek. I just did it! I didn’t plan it, and I enjoyed it. He’s lovely. It was very nice. I am pleased. I thought if all these young dolly birds can do it, this old lady can!”

While there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to meeting a royal, the official royal family website notes that members of the public—as well as the royal family themselves—usually “wish to observe the traditional forms” of greeting and courtesy. Apparently, that means that men get a little bow (head and neck only, no need to bend at the waist) and women can offer up a small curtsy. If that’s all a little too Bridgerton, shaking hands with a monarch “in the usual way” is also okay. Kissing, however, isn’t mentioned and is presumably crossing some sort of imaginary line.