Why One Reality Star Is "Mortified" After "Breaking Royal Protocol" During King Charles Meeting at Buckingham Palace
"King Charles kept looking towards her."


After recreating Meghan Markle's viral "Baby Mama" dance video at Buckingham Palace, one reality star has revealed they were left "mortified" having broken royal protocol. On June 25, former Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing and his pregnant wife Sophie Habboo attended a King's Trust reception at the palace, but it didn't completely go to plan.
Laing and Habboo reportedly broke royal protocol by filming themselves dancing "on the Grand Staircase, breaching rules against photography inside Buckingham Palace." However, the couple's decision to recreate Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry's delivery room dance wasn't as potentially problematic as another of Habboo's actions.
During an episode of their podcast, "Nearly Parents," Laing said (via GB News), "[King Charles] kept looking towards Sophie. And as soon as he went towards Sophie, Sophie put her hand up—5 times."
Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo talking to King Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Recounting the excruciating moment, Laing said, "And then what happened was, the last time he turned towards Sophie, she put out her hand—she didn't withdraw it. She just held it there. She just held it there and didn't move it."
Habboo agreed with Laing, saying she was concerned she'd miss her "opportunity" with King Charles, which led to her acting over-eager. Ultimately, it doesn't seem as though the Royal Family was upset with either Habboo or Laing. As GB News reported, "When Habboo finally greeted The King, he responded graciously despite the protocol breach."
Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo were worried they'd broken royal protocol.
A post shared by Jamie Laing (@jamielaing)
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Laing shared a video clip of the dance he performed in Buckingham Palace with his wife on Instagram. "They said we couldn't film in Buckingham Palace," he captioned the post. Proving they weren't upset about the viral moment, the Royal Family's official Instagram account cheekily commented, "We see you 👀😉."
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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.