William and Kate 'break protocol' by taking selfies during Royal Liverpool Hospital visit
Video report by ITV Granada Reports correspondent Mel Barham
The Prince and Princess of Wales have 'broken royal protocol' by taking selfies with a number of patients and staff during a visit to Liverpool's newest hospital.
William and Kate officially opened the Royal Liverpool Hospital on Wednesday as part of their first official engagement since the release of Prince Harry's autobiography, Spare.
The couple, who have not publicly reacted to their the Duke of Sussex's book, thanked hardworking staff for their ongoing efforts before taking selfies with several.
But, it is not usually something they are seen to do, as Royal protocol is said to not allow this to happen.
The rule became known after the Duchess of Sussex admitted she was not allowed to take a picture with a fan shortly after starting her relationship with Harry.
Meghan Markle told one couple in December 2017: "We're not allowed to do selfies," according to the Mirror.
An 81-year-old woman, who was at the hospital for an appointment, was thrilled when she managed to speak to Prince William.She offered him words of encouragement as he endures the media storm around his brother's book in which he has made several damaging claims about the Royal family.Sylvia said to William: “Keep going Will, Scousers love you.”
To which he replied: “I will do.”
After the hospital visit, William and Kate met staff, volunteers and young people at the Open Door charity’s Bloom Building in Birkenhead.
Hearing about the work the organisation does to combine creative areas such as art and music with mental health support for young people, Kate said: “While everyone is talking about mental health a lot more now, often it has a negative association.
“This is really exciting because it makes it a positive conversation around mental health, something that normalises it so it changes the way we talk about it.”
One of the young people, Reece, said: “They were really down to earth. I thought it was going to be stressful but with Will and Kate it felt like I was being heard.”
Listen to ITV News' podcast the Royal Rota.