Kate Middleton delights young fans as she visits a charity that supports dads

The Princess of Wales delighted fans as she posed for selfies during an outing with a dads group in north London yesterday.

Kate, 41, took part in a ‘Dad Walk’ as part of her ongoing Shaping Us project, which focuses on the importance of the early years in childhood.

Dressed in casual clothes, the mother-of-three eagerly posed for photos with a number of children and their parents as she walked through Arnos Grove.

She was seen crouching next to a young girl as her proud father captured the moment on his mobile phone. Kate gently hugged the child as they both looked at the camera.

Another dad, who briefly picked up his toddler with the royal family, posted it on Instagram with the caption: “My princess meets Princess Kate Middleton.”

Another fan, sharing a selfie on social media, wrote: “What a great morning hanging out with the princess!!!”

In the post he explained how they met in a pub and walked to the playground. “It’s so fun to talk to her about fathers’ mental health and the role we play in children’s early development,” he continued.

Earlier that day, the Princess of Wales enjoyed a music session with the children at the Arnos Arms – where she entertained them with maracas.

At one point, the royal family was seen kneeling to hold a youngster’s hand and laughing as a father held his two children in both arms.

Although there is no official protocol about selfies, the royal family has a rule against handing out autographs, so they cannot be sold for large amounts of money.

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

Kate crouched down next to a young girl as her proud father captured the moment on his mobile phone

A dad, who briefly picked up his toddler with the royal family, posted it on Instagram with the caption: ‘My princess meets Princess Kate Middleton’

This dad posted a photo on Instagram and wrote, “What a great morning hanging out with the princess!!!”

However, in recent years they have become commonplace, with Charles posing for his first selfie in 2014, and other royals from Sophie Wessex to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following suit.

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

William previously joked that he is ‘allergic to selfies’, while Harry once told a teenager that ‘selfies are bad’ and told her to ‘just take a normal photo’ when she asked for one in Australia in 2015.

Lately, however, it seems that some royals have become more 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 he ‘hates’ selfies, the king was one of the first royals to be spotted sharing a moment with fans after cheeky scaffolder Sam Wayne had his picture taken with him in 2014.

Two years later, the same Redruth construction worker Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, started giggling as he took a selfie with them during a tour of a housing development in Cornwall.

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

The duke ended up photographing herself with the schoolgirl, Madison Lambe, 12, because she was too nervous to press the button on her phone.

Kate beamed as she spoke to members of the fathers’ group and their children

She eagerly posed for photos with some children as she walked through Arnos Grove

William seems to have become increasingly accustomed to the selfie over the years, with the royal melting hearts when he halted his tour of Ireland in March 2020 to stop for a selfie with little girl Jennifer Malone.

Kate has always seemed comfortable with the selfie, which went viral in 2014 when she high-fived 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, as the couple happily posed for several photos with royal supporters during their 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

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

In June 2016, she proved she’s a good sport by taking a selfie with employee Biffy Mackay, 27, at Social Bite cafe in Edinburgh, which feeds, trains and employs members of the homeless community.

Sophie Wessex has also been spotted giving in to 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 appear to be becoming more and more common, fans may see the practice as a sign of a monarchy that is becoming more modern as King Charles takes the reins.