Princess breaks royal protocol holding mobile phone in official 18th birthday portrait

A Danish princess has broken royal protocol during her official 18th birthday portrait by holding her phone in the picture.

You try separating a teenager from their phone, let alone a princess, and see how successful you are in the attempt.

Across the North Sea, Denmark's Princess Isabella, daughter of King Frederik X and Queen Mary (the world's first Australian queen), has just turned 18 and got her official portrait done.

Decked out in an orange dress, blue sash and her grandmother's tiara she certainly looked the part, but plenty of people particularly enjoyed the fact she was holding her smartphone for the photo as they said they 'love everything about it'.

It's not really traditional, but when royal protocols were being written up the iPhone didn't exist and now they're the sort of thing everyone has and rather than pretending she isn't glued to her phone like every 18-year-old, the princess was instead holding it as she posed.

This might be the first official royal portrait to feature an iPhone (Instagram/@detdanskekongehus)

While institutions like monarchies tend to be built on tradition and protocol, there are many times when royal protocol looks a bit weird to the rest of us.

Some aspects of the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral seemed rather strange to the public, though it didn't stop lots of people from showing up to walk past the coffin.

Various members of the British royal family have broken royal protocol on occasion as well, though not by posing for a picture while holding their smartphone.

The late Queen is thought to have only broken it a few times, notably in 1997 during Princess Diana's funeral when she bowed to the coffin, and there are a few other instances where she bent the rules to interact with people.

Perhaps modern royals are learning they can move with the times (Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images)

King Charles broke royal protocol during his most recent Christmas Speech, having it done in a location not owned by the royal family since he wanted to highlight how he and several members of his family had gone through their own health struggles.

The address was recorded in Fitzrovia Chapel, a former chapel of the Middlesex Hospital now closed and demolished, to hammer home the point.

Prince William also broke protocol during the Lionesses victory in Euro 2022, giving each of the victorious team members a hug as they were presented with their medals.

Royalty is supposed to keep it to handshakes during formal events and the hugging is far beyond what the dustiest and crustiest of society ever imagined the future king would be doing.

However, former royal butler Grant Harrold said it was a 'deliberate' act, suggesting that younger generations of royals were recognising people wanted to see a more modern and human side from them.

When you put it that way it's no wonder the princess kept hold of her smartphone.