Royal fans were left “sobbing” after the “sweet” moment King Charles III broke protocol to hug members of the New Zealand women’s rugby team — with many saying he “needed it”.
The special moment occurred when a women’s rugby player from New Zealand surprised King Charles III by asking for a hug during a reception at Buckingham Palace on September 11. Black Ferns winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga and her team were stunned by the monarch’s cheerful response.
“Why not?” he cheerfully said, before finding himself surrounded by a group of players giving him an affectionate hug, cheering and giggling. Afterwards, the 75-year-old King joked that “it was like being flattened by a scrum.”
A clip of the incident was shared to the team’s official social media channels, gaining more than 1.1million likes. “Kicking our feet King Charles,” they added in the caption.
Many fans were stunned that the King had agreed to be hugged as many people believed to be against royal protocol. When greeting a monarch, it is tradition for men to do a neck bow from the head only, while women do a small curtsey.
Royals can permit a hug — though this is unusual — leading some fans to speculate that the King “really needed it”. It has been a tough year for the Royal family, with both the King and his daughter-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales receiving cancer treatments.
Some fans also commented on the timing of the hug as it is around the anniversary of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8, 2022. One TikTok user wrote: “Anniversary of his mums passing so he needed that too.”
Another added: “Aww, he truly feels like a grandpa,” while a third commented: “Whyyyyyyy am I crying? he looks like he’s been needing that for decades.” A fourth said: “I’m actually sobbing. This is so sweet.”
Meanwhile, someone else penned: “He probably doesn’t get hugged or even touched often. Such a simple human gesture to a man that has everything and look at the smile on his face. Priceless.”
