Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Celebrates Olympic Gold Medal for U.K. with Hug. But What’s the Royal Protocol?
Prince Edward’s wife rooted for Team Great Britain’s track cycling team as they crossed the finish line in first
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Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh celebrates Team Great Britain’s gold medal and world record at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5, 2024.
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh went in for a hug with a fellow spectator after Team Great Britain made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, inspiring a dive into royal protocol.
On Aug. 5, Prince Edward’s wife celebrated in the stands at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome after the British track cycling team won gold in the women’s team sprint, medaling in the event for the first time and simultaneously setting the world record time of 45.186. As seen in a video shared to X by the royal family’s official account, Sophie, 59, raised her arms in the air, cheered and reached to hug the man next to her as the moment unfolded.
“Yes!” the Duchess of Edinburgh exclaimed as she applauded.
While the hug was a much friendlier and informal exchange than the bows and curtsies often associated with the British royal family, there are no obligatory codes of behavior when interacting with royals.
Related: Every Royal from Around the World at the Paris Olympic Games…So Far
According to the royal family’s official website, which has yet to be fully updated following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, there is no enforced etiquette, “but many people wish to observe the traditional forms.”
“For men, this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way,” the guidance outlines.
Members of the royal family appear to have relaxed their stance around traditional protocol in recent years, from giving public hugs to smiling for selfies.
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Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh (left) at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5, 2024.
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Sophie’s enthusiastic reaction to the epic performance by Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane of Team Great Britain underscored her connection to the sport. The Duchess of Edinburgh previously competed in a 450-mile bicycling challenge from Edinburgh, Scotland to Buckingham Palace in London for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in 2016, the BBC reported.
She embarked on the endeavor years before King Charles conferred Prince Edward with the title of the Duke of Edinburgh, which was created for their late father, Prince Philip, and earmarked for Edward since he married Sophie in 1999.
Sophie became the Duchess of Edinburgh when King Charles confirmed the change on Prince Edward’s birthday in March 2023, and she also serves as patron of the British Cycling Federation, the governing body for cycling in Britain.
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Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh celebrates Team Great Britain’s gold medal and world record at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5, 2024.
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The Duchess of Edinburgh isn’t the first member of the royal family to go in for a hug during a major moment at the Olympics. In a rare display of PDA, Prince William and Kate Middleton shared an excited embrace in the stands at the 2012 London Olympics, wrapping their arms around one another when Team Great Britain won a cycling race.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Prince William and Kate Middleton at the 2012 London Olympics on Aug. 2, 2012.
While the Paris Olympics have been a hotspot for many members of royal families so far this summer, the Prince and Princess of Wales haven’t yet appeared at the global games that began on July 26. Prince William and Princess Kate, both 42, have been outside of the limelight in recent weeks as they spend time with their children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6,during their school break.
While it’s possible that they may pop up in Paris before the Olympics end on Aug. 11, Princess Kate’s plans may also depend on how she’s feeling as she continues cancer treatment. The Princess of Wales announced in March that she is undergoing chemotherapy and made her second public appearance of the year at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships with Princess Charlotte and her sister Pippa Middleton on July 14.
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Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton in the Royal Box at Wimbledon on July 14, 2024.
“Being with her family and just being herself will give her energy. There will be plenty of time to focus on her recovery,” a palace insider previously told PEOPLE about Princess Kate’s summer of recovery.
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