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Today almost every public royal engagement involves a walkabout, where members of the public line the streets to greet members of the the world’s most famous family.
Princess Diana was known for charming the nation during them, while the Duchess of Cambridge has proved she is a natural with the crowds.
And the royal’s newest member, Meghan Markle, appears to have taken to royal life like a duck out of water, completing a public walkabout on her first official visit with husband, Prince Harry, in Nottingham, among many others.
But the routine didn’t exist almost 50 years ago until the Queen decided to rewrite the rule book.
In earlier visits, fans would only be able to catch a glimpse of the royal as they drove by in their cars.
Speaking in a documentary about her mother, ‘Queen of the World’, Princess Anne said: “We never shook hands.
“The theory was, you couldn’t shake hands with everybody, so don’t start.”
But the Queen decided it was time for change, and set out on her very first public walkabout in 1970 during her royal tour of Australia and New Zealand with husband, Prince Philip.
The documentary narrator said: “In the 1970s, the Queen decided to shake things up.
“She wanted to say hello to the crowds and the walkabout was born.”
The revolutionary move meant members of the public can now shake hands with royalty and even engage in conversation with the firm.
Despite the overhaul, Princess Anne revealed she still does not shake hands with member of the public.
Whereas Kate enjoys interacting with the crowds so much she is teased for it by her family.
Speaking in a 2016 documentary to honour the Queen’s birthday, she told Vanity Fair: “There’s a real art to walkabouts, everybody teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting.
“I still have to learn a little bit more, and to pick up a few more tips, I suppose.”
‘Queen of the World’ airs on ITV tonight at 9.15pm.
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