Prince William politely declined a kiss on the cheek from a well-wisher on Tuesday during a walkabout in London. 

The Prince of Wales, 42, joined cricketing stars such as England captain Joe Root and bowler Sir James Anderson for an informal game on the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace, before greeting royal fans who had lined the streets to meet him. 

"Willsmania" appeared to be in full force, as the Prince stopped for selfies, hugs, and FaceTime videos after his "Cricket on the Mall" event ahead of the Earthshot Prize awards in Mumbai next month. 

One moment in particular went viral on social media after a royal fan attempted to land a kiss on the future King's cheek. 

After tugging on his shoulder, she pulled the Prince in; however, William appeared to politely decline the gesture and could be seen shaking his head in amusement before moving on to chat with other fans. 

Writing on social media, one person speculated that William responded, "I don't usually do kisses."

Others were left bemused by the moment and commented: "Who could blame her?", while another referred to his wife, Princess Catherine, pointing out: "He's taken, guys!"

Royal protocol around kissing

While there are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting the royal family, there are certain rules that people tend to follow. 

According to the royal family's website, in formal settings, men may offer a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.

Outside of a formal setting, royals may offer hugs and, more recently, selfies, when meeting well-wishers in public. 

However, they should usually wait to be introduced, and kisses are rare. 

Princess Catherine gave her father-in-law, King Charles, a rare kiss on the cheek in a show of support at the Duchess of Kent's funeral in September 2025.

Members of European royal families, such as Spain, typically take a more relaxed approach, often greeting each other with kisses on the cheek

Prince William joins stars for an informal game of cricket

The heir to the throne first tried bowling at West Indies great Lara, with slow medium deliveries pushed gently away, before taking the bat from the former West Indies captain, who holds the record for the highest first-class cricket score of 501 not out.

William swung and missed at several deliveries from Harry Brook, England’s white ball captain, and Ganguly before connecting with one ball and sending it over the heads of players from the internet sensation Backyard Cricket, which promotes the sport at the grassroots level.

Lara praised the prince and said he would be in his starting 11, adding: "Well, I think he underrates himself first of all because you know he’s a big football fan, as we all know.

"I think his bowling needs a lot of work, but his batting across the line, I think he’d just be my sort of number six or number seven batter, the guy that comes in at the end, and if he hits a couple of boundaries, he hits a couple of boundaries."

Among the cricketing greats at the event was ex-England bowler Sir Jimmy Anderson, England’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with more than 700 wickets.

From the world of broadcasting was BBC Radio 1 breakfast presenter Greg James, co-host of the popular cricket podcast Tailenders alongside Sir Jimmy and musician Felix White.