When The Spice Girls Met Prince Charles, They Broke Royal Protocol In The Cheekiest Way

It wasn’t a combination you’d expect to see — the sizzling Spice Girls standing alongside the very proper then-Prince Charles. But the five-member girl band had a chance to meet the royal in 1997, and their behavior quickly veered away from protocol. In fact, what happened nearly caused the Prince of Wales to crack! The whole debacle has cemented itself in pop culture history as one of the most unbelievable red-carpet moments to have actually happened. So much so, that members of the band are still talking about it to this day. And now that Charles is King, the whole thing seems even more scandalous than before.

A once-in-a-lifetime job

The unlikely meeting between the Spice Girls and Charles took place when the band got invited to perform in a royal variety show. That didn’t mean they hit the stage together to play a few songs, though. Instead, the group was tasked with acting a whole scene alongside their future monarch. And perhaps it was this unusual set of circumstances that had the girls feeling mischievous from the get-go.

Getting up close and personal

Judging by their brazen behavior that night, the unprecedented access to the royal must have made the Spice Girls feel comfortable enough to joke around with their future king. Things went beyond fooling around, though, as the British stars ended up breaking multiple taboos on the list of royal rules. And Charles didn’t hide the fact that he had felt strongly about their actions, either.

The proper way

According to the royal family’s official website, there is no obligation for members of the public to behave in a particular way when they meet a member of the monarchy. That said, most people want to follow the age-old traditions of the British throne. An audience with Prince Charles, then, would require guests to call him “Your Royal Highness” upon their first introduction and “Sir” in follow-up interactions.

Look but don't touch

There aren’t repercussions for flubbing a greeting, per se. Yet people who make a misstep may be subject to the court of public opinion. For instance, Canada’s governor general David Johnston got into trouble after grazing the Queen’s elbow in an effort to guide her down a slippery set of stairs in 2017. So much for offering a helping hand.

A moment that can't be undone

Despite being a faux pas, Johnston touching the Queen in consideration of her safety went over without nearly as much fanfare as what happened between the Spice Girls and Prince Charles. Think of it this way: more than 25 years have passed and people are still talking about it. Clearly, they spiced up the future monarch’s life on that night in 1997 — but how?

"I was cringing inside"

Looking back, Mel C — or Melanie Chisholm — still can't quite believe what happened before her very eyes, "at the time, I was one of the shyer members of the band, so I was cringing inside," she shared with People over Zoom. And the more you think about it, the Spice Girls seemed an unlikely choice of entertainment for the prim-and-proper royal family. So why did they book the cheeky band in the first place? Well, as it turns out, they actually have had a longstanding relationship! And it all began on that night at a royal gala performance in honor of the Prince’s Charity Trust.

Damage control

Even with all of the misconduct that transpired, the Spice Girls have continued to receive royal invites ever since. Perhaps they did a bit of damage control behind the scenes? Certainly, the group made a significant gesture in public soon after. Less than a week after they met Prince Charles, the British stars won an MTV Video Music Award and dedicated it to a member of the royal family.

A heartfelt tribute

The Spice Girls hit the stage after winning an award for their video “Wannabe” — a song that hit number one on both the U.K. and U.S. charts. Mel C — also known as Sporty Spice — accepted the trophy and said, “We’d like to dedicate this award to Princess Diana, who is a great loss for our country.” As we all know, tragically, the beloved royal had passed away in August 1997.

Royal rendezvous

The glamorous girl band and the royals rendezvoused yet again in the fall of that year when they appeared at a summit in South Africa. Prince Harry had trekked to the country for a safari, and his father flew down to join him. The pair was there to have a meeting with then-president Nelson Mandela, but still managed to find time for those cheeky Spice Girls!

Charles' heroes

Both Mandela and Prince Charles lauded the Spice Girls’ inspiring message of girl power. In fact, the latter joked to the BBC, “They are my heroes.” Mel C's take seems to mirror that of King Charles, too. Reflecting on the unprecedented situation over two decades on, the ex-spice girl spilled on her bandmates, "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe they're doing it.' But now I'm really proud that the girls did that because I think that's part of the reason the world fell in love with the Spice Girls." So maybe it was the band's lovable charm that made it seem as though Charles had forgiven the band’s initial faux pas during that first meeting...

#1 fan

We can say that because, just as Mandela had lavished the Spice Girls, Prince Charles did, too. He called their South African concert “the second greatest moment in [his] life.” The first? The Prince of Wales joked that the first time meeting the band topped all of his life’s experiences — a particularly funny statement once you know what happened!

An unusual request

Clearly, all was forgiven that December, when the Spice Girls premiered their first feature film, Spice World. Prince Charles and his sons attended the 1997 red carpet, and, while there, the girl group asked the future king to serve as their manager. He did decline that invitation. Probably a bit too much on his schedule for that!

A letter from the Prince

But Prince Charles did make time to send Geri Halliwell, also known as Ginger Spice, a letter when she quit the Spice Girls in 1998. In his message, he actually brought up the protocol-breaking maneuver she made on their first meeting. But he also noted how much her support for his charity had meant to him, too.

Personal meetings

Charles has had several personal meetings with the individual Spice Girls members as well. In July 2000 — just months before the group split up — Victoria Beckham performed at the royal’s Party in the Park. It was yet another event for his Prince’s Trust charity — since the first time around had gone so well.

Pre-show pep talk

You may not realize this, but Victoria — also known as Posh Spice — attempted to embark on a solo career away from her Spice Girls sisters. Eventually, she ditched singing for a very successful career in fashion — but not before singing for a massive crowd at Prince Charles’ concert. She told the BBC that she chatted with him before her appearance on stage and admitted to the royal that she felt “really nervous about performing... before 100,000 people.”

A special role for Baby Spice

Emma Bunton — Baby Spice in the girl group — had further ties to the Prince’s Charity Trust, too. And in 2001 he made her an ambassador to the organization. That job came with quite a few perks — such as attending its events and even shaking hands with the future monarch. No naughtiness was reported after their run-ins, either!

Meeting in private

So, we now know that the Spice Girls had lots of royal meetings in front of the cameras. Though it turns out that they had more ties to the family than we initially thought! For example, in 2007 Mel C revealed to presenter Graham Norton that the band got helicoptered in to visit Prince Charles and his sons at their private residence of Highgrove.

Cause for complaint

Mel C claimed that the Spice Girls weren’t impressed by the smorgasbord of sandwiches presented to them during afternoon tea. We’re not sure if it’s rule-breaking to complain about the menu at a royal residence, but it can't have been easy to hide their disappointment with the spread! Apparently, Charles and his sons could tell that the singers weren't enjoying their food, though.

Prince William to the rescue

Rather than carting the Spice Girls off to the Tower of London, Charles’ eldest son personally waited on his very famous guests. Mel C told Graham Norton that they were “taken down to the kitchen and made peanut butter on toast — by Prince William.” Clearly, the band had a very friendly rapport with the Windsors by that time.

An invitation one couldn't possibly refuse

And they made their mutual adoration even clearer by the time the young princes had grown into men and decided to get married. Posh Spice and her husband — the iconic soccer player David Beckham — got the most coveted invite of 2011. Yes, the pair attended Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton that year.

Who made the guest list?

The soon-to-be spouses had invited 1,900 people to celebrate their nuptials, but Posh was the only Spice Girl on the guest list. And did you know that Mrs. Beckham has also received an award from the royal family? She became an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2017, and Prince William presented her with this honored status.

Everyone was welcome

Prince Harry was a bit more generous with the invites to his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle — he extended one to each member of the Spice Girls! And it was Mel B who let this information slip during an interview. The singer known as Scary Spice also insinuated that she and her bandmates would perform for the newlyweds at the exclusive affair.

Imaginary invites

Later, though, a report in PageSix.com contradicted what Mel B had told the press. Insiders claimed that neither she nor Mel C had even been invited to the wedding. As such, TMZ confirmed at the time that there were no plans for the Spice Girls to reunite and perform, either. But the fact that three of the group’s members had been invited did indicate that the family still had love for the iconic pop singers.

The start of an obsession

And that fact is impressive considering that things could have gotten off to a rocky start. As we mentioned before, the Spice Girls first met Prince Charles to perform at a royal gala for his Prince’s Trust Charity. And as it seems, this was at the start of the world’s obsession with the pop divas. And with good reason!

Personal space went out the window

Performing at the Royal Opera House marked the Spice Girls’ first big-time gig in their home country, too. You’d think that the pop quintet would be on their best behavior, right? Alas, that wasn’t quite the case! They greeted Prince Charles in a way that burst his personal bubble — and broke royal protocol, too.

Goodbye curtsies — hello kisses

Firstly, both Mel B and Geri skipped the traditional curtsy in favor of a much more personal greeting. They each planted a kiss directly onto both of Charles' cheeks. This was a particularly bold move for Ginger Spice, who had slathered her lips in a bright red color for the night's festivities!

A savvy PR stunt

Mel C recalled the faux pas in a 2018 interview on an Australian radio show called Fitzy and Wippa. She said, “... [Geri] put so much red lippy on and she gave [Charles] this big smacker so of course, the pictures were brilliant. It was such a smart thing to do, PR-wise, back in the day.”

An offer you can't refuse

But this wasn’t the only way that the Spice Girls had overstepped! Mel B supposedly asked Charles if they could come over for dinner some time. She also suggested to the prince that he get his tongue pierced — a piece of advice that he presumably hasn't taken her up on!

A touch too touchy feely

And then there was Ginger Spice, who landed a huge, staining smooch right on Charles’ cheek. But that wasn't all! The singer also told the royal that she found him “very sexy,” according to Time. Still, there was more... As well as planting her lips directly on the royal's face, Geri put her hands on him in a way that got the whole world talking.

Overstepping the mark

The footage seemed to capture Geri pinching Charles on his bottom as she met him. She has gone on to say that it was more of a pat than anything else, and Mel C backed her up in her radio interview — sort of. Sporty Spice recalled, “Because there are some very cheeky members of the [Spice Girls]... Geri gave him a big squeeze on the bum.”

Things have changed

No matter what the exact hand motion was, it obviously didn’t matter in the end. The Spice Girls and the royals have maintained a strong bond ever since. According to Mel C, Prince Charles also “quite enjoyed” the cheeky pat — and that’s why the band never got into trouble for it. Who knows if the girls will be reprimanded now that Charles has taken the throne, but Mel C certainly seems to think things are different now that Charles has a new title.

"Those naughty Spice Girls!"

"Now that Charles is our King, it kind of makes it even more naughty. Those naughty Spice Girls!" mused Jerry in 2022. Whether a retrospective slap on the wrist is imminent or not, we already know the Spice Girls have had plenty of run-ins with Charles after their famed first meeting. Even Geri has bounced back from the did-she-or-didn’t-she speculation. In 2019 the star attended an event for a charity called Invest in Futures, which helps disadvantaged adults find work. And Charles was there, too.

King Charles or Spice Boy?

Much like their first meeting, that night, Geri grabbed Charles — this time by the hands — and smiled as they chatted. She later spoke to Metro and described just how important the royal was to her one-time band. Geri said, “He’s part of our heritage. We consider him a Spice Boy.” Yes, she gave that nickname to the future British monarch!

The beginning of pop royalty

Geri further explained what she meant by the silly nickname. The star said, “I feel like Prince Charles — his royal highness — is part of the landscape of the Spice Girls and our journey. He was there from the beginning.” Indeed, the prince did give them a spot at his charity function just after “Wannabe” hit the charts — marking a start to their illustrious pop music reign.

"I really admire him"

Charles hasn’t spoken much about what the Spice Girls mean to him personally. Though Geri gushed over his importance to them and the wider country. She concluded, “To see him just grow and shine — our King — I just think it’s brilliant what he does and I really admire him as a representation of our country.”

A surprise up their sleeves

So, that’s the latest between the Spice Girls and Charles! Yet the ladies do have another exciting reunion up their sleeves. According to The Sun newspaper, four of the five members — Ginger, Sporty, Scary and Baby Spice — have approached a screenwriter to work on a sequel to their beloved 1997 film Spice World. Whether they can convince Posh to join the ranks is another story.

An important anniversary

A source told the newspaper that the four stars have a good reason for bringing their stage personas to the big screen once more. That’s because 2022 will mark the Spice Girls’ 25th anniversary. So, they supposedly want to make “a tongue-in-cheek sequel” to celebrate their long history as entertainers. But are the rumors to be believed?

Animated to perfection

So far, no one from the Spice Girls has commented on the rumors — nor have their reps. There may also be a Paramount-produced flick with them in it, too, except for one minor difference: they’ll be animated. And the movie will supposedly angle the singers as superheroes instead. That project has been shelved, though, and there is no word on when it’ll be back on the table.

The band are back... almost

Perhaps most exciting of all, though, is the fact that Mel C seems to think that Posh Spice herself might be open to rejoining the group. Yet we want to know: does that mean she’ll tour with her old bandmates? And will the Spice Boy himself – the U.K.'s King – attend any future reunion tours? “Say You’ll Be There,” Charles!