Catherine Mayer, the bestselling biographer of King Charles, has disclosed that a former girlfriend of the King accidentally headbutted him while attempting to follow strict royal protocols. Mayer shared the anecdote while promoting her new book, Divide & Rule, on A Right Royal Podcast presented by Hello!.
Protocols Persist Behind Closed Doors
Mayer, who authored the 2015 biography Charles: The Heart of a King, explained that she has been “lucky enough to see royals behind-closed-doors.” She initially assumed that they “kind of kick off protocol along with their shoes” once the cameras are off, but her experiences proved otherwise.
She recounted a story from one of Charles’s old girlfriends: “They were all in this room waiting for him to come… they’re all smoking out windows and being young people. As soon as he arrived in the room they all had to call him sir and she was supposed to curtsy to him and call him sir whenever she met him even though she was his girlfriend.”
“So she goes to curtsy just as he leans forward to kiss her. He leans forward to kiss her and she gives him a Glasgow kiss [a headbutt],” Mayer said.
Inside 'Planet Windsor'
Mayer, who also founded the Women’s Equality Party, often refers to the Royal Family as “planet Windsor.” Her new book, Divide & Rule, examines the lives of eight royal women, including Meghan Markle, Princess Diana, and Princess Catherine.
She described her own observations of royal protocols at a state banquet: “I went with my husband to the state banquet… the whole experience of being announced into the room is just such a funny thing, but they all do this. Obviously the state banquet is a formal thing, but they do it at other formal receptions. They absolutely do.”
Sympathy for Diana
Speaking to The Telegraph, Mayer revealed a surprising finding from her research: “I ended up feeling incredibly sorry for Diana. I understand how she made the mistake of thinking she could find happiness within the institution. I think you basically need your head examined to want to be a part of it.”
She praised the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: “The really good thing that Kate and William have done is they’ve tried to give their children some taste of normality.”
Mayer’s latest book is available now, offering a deeper look into the complex lives of British royal women.
