Prince William poses for selfies with beaming royal fans as he joins Kate Middleton in Moray

Prince William proved he remains King of the selfies today as he posed for photographs with delighted royal fans during his visit to Moray.

The Prince and Princess of Wales – known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when visiting Scotland – are visiting rural communities in Burghead, Moray and Inverness.

William, 41, was beaming as he warmly greeted members of the public, who were thrilled to have a close encounter with the royal. 

The couple were visiting the Outfit Moray charity, which provides outdoor learning programmes for young people – and William’s joy was evident as he happily posed alongside the locals from the town. 

It comes after the Princess of Wales delighted fans as she posed for selfies during an outing with a fathers’ group in north London on Wednesday.

Prince William proved he remains King of the selfies today as he posed for photographs with delighted royal fans during his visit to Moray 

Although there is no official protocol on selfies, the royals have a rule against signing autographs, so that they can’t be sold for large amounts of money.

In the early days of camera phones, they seemed to shy away from being snapped with members of the public, with Princes William and Harry and King Charles all voicing their dislike of the method.

But in recent years they’ve become commonplace, with Charles posing for his first selfie in 2014, and other royals from Sophie Wessex to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following suit.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was not a fan of selfies and would politely decline if ever asked to take one, as she was thought to prefer eye contact. However, this was more of a personal preference than a rule of any kind.

William has previously joked that he is ‘allergic to selfies’ while Harry once told a teenager that ‘selfies are bad’ and told her to ‘just take a normal photograph’ when she requested one in Australia in 2015.

But in recent times it appears some royals have grown fonder of the selfie, perhaps viewing the form of photography as way of embracing modern times and connecting with fans.

Despite previously admitting he ‘hates’ selfies, the King was among the first royals to be seen stopping for a snap with fans after cheeky scaffolder Sam Wayne took a picture with him in 2014.

Two years later the same construction worker, from Redruth, reduced Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, to fits of giggles as he snapped a selfie with them on a tour of a housing development in Cornwall.

William, 41, was beaming as he warmly greeted members of the public, who were thrilled to have a close encounter with the royal

Prince William pushed the trend further in 2014 when he actually took the picture himself while posing for a snap with a schoolgirl after she visited the Sandringham Estate on Christmas Day.

The Duke ended up photographing himself with the schoolgirl, Madison Lambe, 12, because she was too nervous to press the button on her phone.

William seems to have grown more accustomed to the selfie over the years, with the royal melting hearts when he put his tour of Ireland on hold to stop for a selfie with little girl Jennifer Malone in March 2020.

Kate has always seemed to be comfortable with the selfie, going viral in 2014 when she took a snap high-fiving a youngster in Christchurch, New Zealand, before posing with various well-wishers on a walkabout in Sydney.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry welcomed the selfie after marrying Meghan Markle in 2018 when the pair happily posed for several photos with royal supporters during their 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

It also seems that Queen Consort Camilla has always been on board with the selfie, having posed with various fans over the years.

In June 2016, she proved she’s a good sport by snapping a selfie with staff member Biffy Mackay, 27, at the Social Bite cafe in Edinburgh, which feeds, trains and employs members of the homeless community.

Sophie Wessex has also been spotted indulging fans who asked for a selfie when she smiled with a group of youngsters while previously attending the New Forest and Hampshire County Show.

Similarly, the Princess of Wales delighted fans as she posed for selfies during an outing with a fathers’ group in north London on Wednesday

She eagerly posed for photographs with a number of children while walking through Arnos Grove

As royal selfies appear to become more commonplace, fans may consider the practice is a sign of a monarchy that is becoming more modern as King Charles takes the reins.

Yesterday, Kate, 41, joined a ‘Dad Walk’ as part of her ongoing Shaping Us project, which focuses on the importance of the early years in childhood.

The mother-of-three, dressed in casual attire, eagerly posed for photographs with a number of children and their parents while walking through Arnos Grove.  

She was seen crouching down by a girl as her proud father captured the moment on his phone. Kate softly embraced the child as they beamed at the camera. 

Another father, who scooped up his toddler for a snap with the royal, posted it on Instagram with the caption: ‘My Princess meeting Princess Kate Middleton.’ 

A further fan, who shared a selfie on social media, wrote: ‘What an amazing morning hanging out with the Princess!!!’

In the post, he explained how they had met at a pub and walked to the playground.  ‘So nice chatting to her about mental health in dads and the role we play in children’s early development,’ he continued. 

Earlier that day, the Princess of Wales enjoyed a music session with the children at the Arnos Arms – where she entertained them with maracas.

At one point, the royal was seen kneeling down to hold one youngster’s hand and enjoying a laugh with a father holding his two children in either arm.