The reason why Princess Anne won’t shake hands with members of the public

OUCH.

When it comes to royal appearances it's common practice for members of the royal family to walk around and greet members of the public, often shaking hands with them. This practice is commonly known as the 'walkabout' and when images of the royal family are released, you'll often see Meghan and Kate and the likes shaking hands, smiling and even giving the odd hug. However, one royal isn't a fan and Princess Anne doesn't hold back when it comes to discussing her feelings on the matter. The princess was interviewed for ITV documentary Queen of the World and she explained why she doesn't tend to engage in walkabouts. Apparently, they only really started in 1970 when the Queen decided the royal family should properly say hello to people waiting, instead of waving from a car. Princess Anne discussed how things used to be:

"The theory was that you couldn't shake hands with everybody, so don't start. So I kind of stick with that, but I notice others don't."

In the preview for the documentary, which airs this week, the princess continued:

 "It's not for me to say that it's wrong, but I think that the initial concept was that it was patently absurd to start shaking hands. And it seems to me that it's become a shaking hands exercise, rather than a walkabout, if you see what I mean".

The princess also pointed out that it has become more difficult to engage with people because they want to take photos and so human contact isn't as important.