From misbehaving animals to torrential rain, King Charles’ trip to the Channel Islands so far has had all the ingredients for a quintessential royal visit.
But the king may have gotten more than he bargained for when he greeted the public in the small town of St Peter Port in Guernsey on Tuesday.
Cheeky local Kathleen Moriarty, 91, planted a kiss on the King’s cheek, much to the delight of the audience.
The loud smooch was captured by a close-up camera, drowning out the noise of the crowd.
King Charles took it in stride, shook Kathleen’s hand and gave her a wry smile.
For a 75-year-old with cancer, this is a sign that he is on the mend.
But that act of intimacy might have prompted a very different response during the Queen’s reign.
Royal biographers such as Andrew Morton say Queen Elizabeth ‘wouldn’t allow members of the public to kiss her, because she has a “different style” to her son.
From misbehaving animals to torrential rain, King Charles’ trip to the Channel Islands so far has all the ingredients for a quintessential royal visit, writes NATASHA LIVINGSTONE.
But the king may have gotten more than he bargained for when he greeted the public in the small town of St Peter Port in Guernsey on Tuesday. Kathleen Moriarty, 91, a mischievous local, planted a kiss on the King’s cheek, much to the delight of the audience.
And yesterday was not the first time Charles received a peck from the public.
The day after his mother’s death in September 2022, the new King put on a brave face as he shook hands with worshipers at Buckingham Palace.
In an outpouring of affection, one woman leaned over to kiss his hand, while another landed one on the cheek.
This was the first sign of the so-called ‘informal formality’ of the reign of King Charles, which reflected a cold approach to giving enthusiastic glands.
As a royal reporter who regularly follows the King on engagements, it’s something I’ve seen myself first hand.
The royal’s laid-back style was a particular hit when they toured Kenya last fall, where the country’s largely young population — the average age is just 19 — received the King and Queen like rock stars.
One 17-year-old even revealed she was ‘in love’ with Charles on a sunny beach in Mombasa.
Royal fans kiss the hand of King Charles as he walks outside Buckingham Palace following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, September 2022
Few will ever forget the bold red lipstick she left on her cheeks after a rowdy meeting with the Spice Girls in 1997
Prince Charles receives a kiss from a royal fan during a visit to York to view flood damage, 2000
Prince Charles is kissed by an elderly woman while visiting Cwmaman, in Aberdare, Wales, in 2001
Prince Charles gets a kiss on the cheek from teacher Kate Skillman during a visit to Sydney, March 2005
But the King’s natural warmth towards royal fans may not sit well with Harry.
The Duke of Sussex claimed in Spare’s memoir that his father was “not good at showing emotion” and did not hug him after Princess Diana’s tragic death.
So, did King’s advancing years make him softer?
Records from his time as Prince of Wales suggest he must have been that way when it came to allowing kisses from fans.
A black and white photo from November 1977 shows Charles receiving a peck from a royal fan in Perth, Western Australia.
Prince Charles receives a kiss from sixteen-year-old Gilda Larbey while walking on the Mall, Perth, Western Australia, November 1977
Prince Charles is kissed by Jane Priest, a model, as he emerges from the water at Cottesloe beach in Perth, during his tour of Australia in 1979.
Prince William was also seen wearing a more relaxed style to engage with the public
And few will forget the bold red lipstick left on their cheeks after a rowdy meeting with the Spice Girls twenty years later.
It’s a tendency the new Prince of Wales, Prince William, seems to have embraced.
On a visit to Wales last October, the Prince was surrounded by well-wishers when he joked: ‘Who cut my bottom?’
And a month earlier, former England footballer Paul Gascoigne got away with planting William on the cheek when he met him by chance in Bournemouth.
Like the former ban on taking selfies, royal protocol has evolved over time.
So is the new order: ‘You can now kiss…the King’?