"Why not"

Female rugby players hug England’s King Charles

Royal hugs for New Zealand's female rugby players

(Bild: AFP/APA/POOL/Aaron Chown)

Great Britain's King Charles III (75) has received an unusual hug. The monarch received the rugby players of the New Zealand national team. "We'd all like a hug, but only if it's okay with you," said one of the women. "A hug?" asked Charles. "Why not!" The women were delighted and gave Charles a big hug.

The royal family shared a video on Instagram in which Charles is clearly having great fun and laughing. The meeting took place at Buckingham Palace in London. The King received the "Black Ferns" - as the team is known - before a match against the English national team and received an unexpected group hug in return, the royal family wrote on X.

No binding rules
The royals usually tend to keep their distance. In principle, however, there are no binding rules of conduct when meeting a royal, as the royal house emphasizes on its website. The royal couple meet thousands of people in the UK and other countries every year, many of whom ask how they should behave.

King Charles with New Zealand's national women's rugby team

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"The simple answer is that there are no binding rules of conduct - only courtesy," says the Royal Family website. Traditionally, men would bow their heads slightly when meeting and women would curtsy slightly. Other people would prefer to simply shake hands as usual.