Royal rebel: 11 times King Charles broke protocol, from replacing Meghan Markle’s dad at her wedding and kissing a 16-year-old fan, to underage drinking at Gordonstoun and PDAs with Princess Diana

Oct 24 , 2022

Forget Prince Harry, King Charles III might just be the royal family’s biggest rebel ... Photos: Getty Images, @royalfamily/Instagram

As a prince, Charles’ PDAs with wives Princess Diana and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall broke with royal precedent, and his hugs and kisses with fans did too

As early as 14, Charles was caught underage drinking with school friends, and his outspoken support of environmentalism is still controversial – but why was eating oysters a bad idea?

When you’re part of an institution that has been around for 1,200 years, it should come as no surprise that there are numerous rules that you are expected to follow. But as the British royal family has evolved, so too, have its members.

King Charles III isn’t the only one to break with royal protocol of course – but now that he is king, all eyes are on his future (and past) rebellious acts. Here’s a look at 11 times he broke with tradition and got tongues wagging.

Underage drinking

A young Prince Charles got in trouble for ordering a cherry brandy at the age of 14. Photo: Getty Images

In the 1960s, Charles attended Gordonstoun Boarding School in Moray, Scotland. In his second year of school, a young Prince Charles and a few fellow students had dinner at the Crown Hotel before a film at the Stornoway Playhouse.

According to the Scottish Daily Express, Charles was dared to go up to the bar and order a drink. Unluckily for him, a tabloid reporter at the pub spotted the prince ordering a cherry brandy – reportedly “the first drink that came into [his] head” – and published the story of the prince drinking under the legal age of 18. Charles’ bodyguard was reportedly fired after the incident.

Receiving kisses from fans

Prince Charles receives a kiss from 16-year-old Gilda Larbey during a walkabout in Perth, Australia, in 1977. Photo: Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

As a young prince, Charles broke royal protocol when he received a kiss from 16-year-old Gilda Larbey during a trip to Australia in 1977.

When then-Prince Charles was in his mid-to-late twenties, he was a veritable heartthrob among the young ladies of the Commonwealth, so it’s no surprise that one tried to steal a kiss from him.

Charles broke with royal precedent by being present at the births of his two children

If a young Prince Charles had had his way, Prince William would actually be called Prince Arthur, but Princess Diana apparently vetoed the idea, and it became one of his middle names instead. Photo: AP

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