Prince William and Kate Middleton defy royal protocol with ‘dangerous’ move during secret trip
Topics: Prince William, Kate Middleton, Royal Family, Travel
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Topics: Prince William, Kate Middleton, Royal Family, Travel
Prince William and Kate Middleton broke royal protocol during an overseas tour 2016, despite being warned of the 'dangers'.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have personal protection officers watching their every move.
Their security team are usually stood subtly on standby during royal engagements, and do their upmost to keep senior members of the family safe.
However, during one trip almost a decade ago, the royal couple opted to ditch their security and travel to one particular location solo.
Advert
In 2016, the couple went on a tour of India and Bhutan, where they visited the Taj Mahal, attended a Bollywood gala and played cricket with children.
But it was for a specific visit to a children's homeless shelter, that the couple opted out of bringing security.
Sanja Roy, co-founder of the Salaam Baalak Trust, took the pair to meet children at its centre in New Delhi railway station.
The children there are some of the poorest and most vulnerable, and are largely victims of physical and sexual violence, as well as trafficking and gang exploitation.
Due to the sensitive nature of their visit, the royals decided that they wanted to attend without their security present.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Roy said: "When William and Catherine came to see this project, [representatives] called saying, 'They’re happy to come without security'.
"I tried to dissuade them, saying, 'No can do - it’s too dangerous. Just don’t come'.
"But Will and Kate said, 'No, we really want to'."
The co-founder of the trust had been put off from her experience with other British VIPs.
He noted: "We'd had Tony and Cherie Blair come before, they did this whole thing with our street kids.
"It was just a circus. I didn't want a circus for the kids. The Press came. It was just not nice."
However, it was a different outcome for the royal visit.
"But here, William and Catherine, they were so wonderfully respectful," he added.
While in Bhutan, the two also hiked up to Tiger's Nest monastery, tried archery, and met with fellow royals King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema.
The couple made the decision to do this tour alone, but took their first tour as a family of four just months later.
Kate and William took their eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, to Canada in September.
Prince Louis, now seven, was born just two years later in 2018.