Queen of the selfies! Kate Middleton poses with royal fans on walkabout along The Mall

The Princess of Wales showed off her easygoing charm with the public today as she posed for selfies with excited royal fans at The Mall — and even enjoyed a phone call with an admirer.

Kate, 41, joined the King, 74, and the Prince of Wales, 40, in a surprise appearance in London to greet well-wishers less than 24 hours before the coronation.

The road leading to Buckingham Palace was cleared and royal fans eagerly lined the route.

Kate eagerly posed for selfies with fans, while the mother-of-three even appeared to join one on a video call before also speaking on another fan’s phone before handing it back.

The royal family spoke on the phone to the aunt of Texan Debbie Hoover, who was in Tennessee with a broken leg, which meant she couldn’t fly out with her family for the coronation, according to BBC journalist Chi Chi Izundu on Twitter.

“Are you feeling well?” asks Kate, before adding, “Come say hello Julie when you get back here, but I hope you get well soon.”

People cheered and ‘God Save the King’ could be heard shouting as the high-ranking figures of the monarchy arrived to shake hands with the benefactors.

Royal superfans were blown away by the visit, which came just hours after a downpour saw thousands of people camp out at The Mall, with one person telling Sky News: ‘This is the happiest moment of my life.’

The King went to one side of The Mall while William and Kate went to another side to greet the benefactors. A woman said to Charles “Love you Charlie” while others congratulated him.

Meanwhile, alongside Kate, a beaming William also posed for selfies with the adoring crowd.

While there’s no official protocol about selfies, the royals have a rule against signing autographs so they can’t be sold for large sums.

And in the early days of camera phones, they seemed to shy away from being photographed with members of the public, with Princes William and Harry and King Charles all voicing their distaste for the method.

In recent years, however, they’ve become commonplace, with Charles posing for his first selfie as far back as 2014, and other members of the royal family, from Sophie Wessex to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was not a fan of selfies and would politely decline if ever asked as she was thought to prefer eye contact. However, this was more of a personal preference than a rule of any kind.

William previously joked that he’s “allergic to selfies,” while Harry once told a teen that “selfies suck” and told her to “just take a normal picture” when she asked for one in Australia in 2015.

Lately, however, it seems some royals have grown fond of the selfie, perhaps seeing the form of photography as a way to embrace the modern age and connect with fans.

Despite previously admitting that he “hate” selfies, the king was one of the first members of the royal family to stop for a moment with fans after cheeky scaffolder Sam Wayne took a photo with him in 2014.

Two years later, the same construction worker, from Redruth, brought Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, to laughter as he snapped a selfie with them on a tour of a housing development in Cornwall.

Prince William pushed the trend further in 2014 when he took the picture himself posing for a picture with a schoolgirl after she visited the Sandringham Estate on Christmas Day.

The Duke eventually photographed herself with the schoolgirl, Madison Lambe, 12, because she was too nervous to press the button on her phone.

William seems to have gotten more used to the selfie over the years, with the royal melting hearts when he put his tour of Ireland on hold to stop for a selfie with little girl Jennifer Malone in March 2020.

Kate has always felt comfortable with the selfie, which went viral in 2014 when she took a high-five from a youngster in Christchurch before posing with several well-wishers on a walk in Sydney.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry welcomed the selfie after marrying Meghan Markle in 2018, when the couple happily posed for several photos with royal supporters on their 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

It also seems that Queen Consort Camilla has always been on board with the selfie, posing with several fans over the years.

In June 2016, she proved herself a good sportsperson by snapping a selfie with staff member Biffy Mackay, 27, at the Social Bite cafe in Edinburgh, which feeds, trains and employs members of the homeless community.

Sophie Wessex has also been spotted feasting on fans asking for a selfie as she smiled with a group of youngsters while previously attending the New Forest and Hampshire County Show.

As royal selfies seem to become more commonplace, fans may view the practice as a sign of a monarchy becoming more modern, with King Charles taking the reins.

Earlier, the king took part in a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, where a 2,300-strong congregation and a television audience likely to run into the tens of millions will watch him be crowned on Saturday.

As tensions mount for Britain’s first coronation in 70 years, Charles and Kate joined a VIP luncheon at Buckingham Palace.

His Majesty was joined by working royals at a special event for Prime Ministers and Governors General at the Palace from noon, just after the heavens opened to London.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were in attendance. The royal contingent was completed by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. But there was no invitation for Prince Andrew, who was seen passing through Windsor this lunchtime.

A total of 42 attended, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Republican Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.