Look away, King's Guard!
Did you know there is a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to meeting the royal family—even if you are a celebrity? Miles Teller recently revealed that the cast of Top Gun: Maverick received a sheet detailing proper way to engage with Prince William and Kate Middleton prior to the film's London premiere...not that he ended up following all of the rules. In fact, the actor admitted to committing several mistakes during his encounter with the couple.
But he is not the only star to break the rules and end up royally flushed. Did you know one of The Spice Girls made headlines for supposedly pinching King Charles III's bum? Or that Margot Robbie once prank-called Prince Harry on a dare from a co-star? Plus, Michelle Obama revealed the late Queen Elizabeth II's surprising reaction when she made a public faux pas during their first meeting.
Here are eight examples of stars slipping up while meeting the royal family:
Year: 2022
Offense: During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Teller revealed that the cast received a list of "dos and don'ts" when it to came to interacting with Prince William and Kate Middleton at Top Gun: Maverick's London premiere in May. "There's a lot of etiquette and I had a sheet so I wouldn't f--k it up," he joked.
But that is exactly what he ended up doing.
"Right off the bat I messed up," he admitted. "You're not supposed to extend your hand right off the bat unless they do. But I felt the vibe, so I'm like, 'I'm going in, I'm going in.'"
Teller continued, "To their credit, they were very disarming. I was lost. Prince William's eyes...Kate was beautiful and cordial, but with William—I don't know, I blacked out."
Year: 1997
Offense: In one of the '90s most iconic pop culture moments, The Spice Girls star caused a commotion when she allegedly pinched King Charles III' butt at the premiere of Spice World.
But Halliwell set the record straight in 2016, clarifying that she "patted" his bum.
"Patting him on the bottom was against royal protocol but we're all human," she told The Times. "There was a lot of nervous energy...young women, happy antics."
Year: 2016
Offense: While filming Suicide Squad together, Delevingne dared Robbie to prank-call Prince Harry, a challenge she reluctantly accepted.
"I said, 'We can't prank-call royalty,' but anyway we did,'" Robbie told The Sun in 2018, "and he was so cool with it."
Year: 2016
Offense: While people speculated that the Marvel star broke the rules when he hugged Queen Consort Camilla at a charity event, a spokesperson for Clarence House confirmed to People that there was no breach in protocol.
"I think she quite enjoyed it!" the spokesperson said, noting that Hiddleston's meeting with Charles' wife was a "warm moment" and that the pair "got on very well and had a very nice chat together."
Year: 2018
Offense: The Oscar winner broke several royal rules when she met at William and Kate at the BAFTA Film Awards. Not only was Janney barefoot, she also called the then-pregnant Duchess an affectionate nickname.
"I just told her that I was in bare feet and...she should take her shoes off 'cause she's pregnant," Janney recalled on The Late Late Show. "It was an awkward moment. As I did, I called her 'honey' and that might not have been royal etiquette."
Year: 2017
Offense: The "Bad Habits" singer made a, well, bad move when he was awarded with an MBE by King Charles.
"Apparently, I did a big faux pas," Sheeran later told NBC. "I shook his hand and then grabbed it and you're not meant to do that."
Year: 2009
Offense: In her 2018 memoir Becoming, the former first lady detailed the time she broke royal protocol while meeting Queen Elizabeth II, revealing that her majesty didn't seem to mind the slip-up.
"Forget that she sometimes wore a diamond crown and that I'd flown to London on a presidential jet; we were two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes," Obama wrote of their first meeting in April 2009. "I then did what's instinctive to me anytime I feel connected to a new person, which is to express my feelings outwardly. I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder."
with ere two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes," Obama wrote of their first meeting in April 2009. "I then did what's instinctive to me anytime I feel connected to a new person, which is to express my feelings outwardly. I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder."
The moment was photographed and Obama received flack for the casual interaction. "I tried not to let the criticism rattle me," she wrote. "If I hadn't done the proper thing at Buckingham Palace, I had at least done the human thing."
Obama continued, "I daresay the Queen was okay with it, too, because when I touched her, she only pulled closer, resting a gloved hand lightly on the small of my back."
Year: 2009
Offense: After being presented with an MBE by Her Majesty, the seven-time Formula One champion attended a private lunch with Queen Elizabeth and … and the conversation took a wrong turn.
"I was excited and started to talk to her," Hamilton told Graham Norton in 2015. "But she said, pointing to my left, 'No you speak that way first, and I'll speak this way and then I'll come back to you."
But Hamilton did eventually get to speak with the queen, saying, "She is a sweet woman, and we talked about how she spends her weekends, houses and music."
Year: 2018
Offense: The devil wears Prada and Wintour always wears sunglasses, even when sitting next to the queen in the front row at Richard Quinn's fashion show. According to etiquette expert Grant Harrold, the Vogue editor-in-chief should have removed her signature shades while in the presence of royalty.
"Ms. Wintour should know that to wear sunglasses when talking to another person, with no medical reason, is unacceptable," Harrold told the Press Association. "She should have removed them before being in the presence of the Queen, let alone in discussion."