Why Princess Charlotte's First Public Social Media Message Broke "Normal" Royal "Protocol" During Father-Daughter Trip to Switzerland

The young royal's personal message ignored one important rule.

Prince William wears a suit with a red, white, and blue striped tie, and daughter Princess Charlotte wears a navy and white polka dot dress, as the pair attend the UEFA Women's Championship in Switzerland
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Princess Charlotte completed an important milestone when she embarked on her very first father-daughter trip abroad with Prince William. On July 27, the pair traveled to Switzerland for the UEFA European Women's Championship, with England's soccer team winning against Spain in the final. Charlotte joined her dad in celebrating the win with a personal social media message, which broke "normal protocol," according to one report.

The Prince and Princess of Wales's official X account shared a sweet message from William and Charlotte after the tense soccer final. "What a game!" the post said. "@Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment @England." The father-daughter duo signed off the message, "W & Charlotte."

Reporting on the unusual message, the Express explained, "Some fans may have noticed that Charlotte's name was signed off in full, rather than the normal protocol of using just initials." The reason for doing so is fairly understandable, however.

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

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The Express reported that Charlotte's full name was likely used as "her mother's first name also begins with the letter C, Catherine." The outlet continued, "So, to differentiate from a message signed off by the Prince and Princess of Wales, which would be W & C, Charlotte's full name has been used." Rather than cause any confusion, Prince William's very first social media message with his daughter highlighted her name fully.

Prince William wears a suit and watches the Lionesses play against Spain alongside daughter Princess Charlotte

Prince William and Princess Charlotte in Switzerland.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Inside St. Jakob-Park stadium in Basel, Princess Charlotte and Prince William appeared to be having a wonderful time watching England compete against Spain in the UEFA European Women's Championship final.

Prince William wears a suit with a red, white, and blue striped tie, and daughter Princess Charlotte wears a navy and white polka dot dress, as the pair attend the UEFA Women's Championship in Switzerland

Princess Charlotte and Prince William attending the UEFA European Women's Championship final.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William previously revealed that Princess Charlotte is a "budding [soccer] star" herself. Meeting England's soccer team ahead of the UEFA European Women's Championship in 2022, William shared (via OK!), "Charlotte wants me to tell you she's really good in goal."

Amy Mackelden
Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.