Woman steals kiss with King Charles as he greets mourners outside Buckingham Palace

Janny Assiminos broke royal protocol by kissing the new king passionately on the cheek as he greeted mourners outside Buckingham Palace.

The royal fan, who stood outside Buckingham Palace when the king married Diana, Princess of Wales, told The Telegraph her heart was “pounding” as the royals walked towards her crowd on Friday.

“I asked the police, ‘Is the king here?’ He nodded. My heart was pounding as he approached. He held out his hand. I took it. I said, ‘I’m sorry for your loss ‘. He said, ‘Thank you’.

“He looked at me and I said, ‘Can I kiss you?’ He said ‘yes’.”

While the act could be seen as a breach of royal protocol, Charles was polite at the time and appeared to thank the 76-year-old, who insisted she knew it was cheeky but she “had to do it”.

As he passed, another woman kissed his outstretched hand.

Achiminos said she felt “fantastic” afterwards and joked that she couldn’t wash her face.

“I’m very happy, but it’s a shame that no one took a photo! Five minutes later, a couple came up to me and said they had a photo and sent it to me. I’m very happy,” she said.

A self-proclaimed “big” fan of the royal family, she has a number of memorabilia commemorating their major events, many of which live proudly in glass cases in her home.

These include a mug commemorating the Golden Jubilee and Prince Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson, as well as a book dedicated to the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Achiminos said she felt so sad for her family when she heard the news of the Queen’s passing, which reminded her of the grief she felt after her husband of 48 years, George. “Everyone can feel it,” she said.

“Charles is fine,” she added. “My husband has been expecting him to be king, so I know he must be happy there.”