Awkward moment Brigitte Macron tries to hold hands with Queen Camilla at D-Day memorial – after French president kept the royals waiting by arriving late
The Queen and Mrs Macron, both dressed in white, laid wreaths at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.
After placing their flowers, they stepped back to reflect for a moment and the First Lady extended her hand to the Queen, but Camilla seemed somewhat reluctant to offer her gloved hand.
After appearing to give the royal family’s hand a small squeeze, Mrs. Macron dropped it and the two stood side by side in front of the monument.
While her gesture was undoubtedly well-intentioned, contact with members of the royal family is always a tricky issue.
According to the royal family’s website, there are ‘no mandatory codes of conduct’ when meeting the Queen or a member of the royal family, but there is an unwritten rule that you cannot go further than a handshake.
While younger members of the royal family, such as Prince William and the Princess of Wales, are known for being more relaxed and handing out hugs, the older generation is following the example of the late Queen, who was not tactile with the public.
President Emmanuel Macron also kept the king and queen waiting when he was 20 minutes late for a showpiece D-Day commemoration ceremony today.
After placing their flowers at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, the First Lady contacted the Queen, but Camilla seemed somewhat reluctant to offer her gloved hand.
The Queen, King Charles, President Macron and his wife Brigitte attend the British Ministry of Defense and Royal British Legion’s 80th anniversary commemoration ceremony
King Charles greeted Mrs Macron with a kiss on the hand and showed no sign of annoyance after the French president and his wife were late
President Macron put a supportive arm around his wife as they joined King Charles and Camilla at the commemoration
The awkward moment happened after Brigitte and Emmanuel had kept the king and queen waiting
The Royals were already waiting on Thursday morning when the French head of state finally arrived at the 80th anniversary event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.
King Charles and Queen Camilla made no comment on the behavior of Macron, who was accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron.
But the French media noticed what happened, and it was widely reported.
The Queen and France’s First Lady, both dressed in white, looked solemn as they prepared to lay some flowers
Cnews, the TV news channel, wrote: “While the King and Queen of England had already been installed, Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived 20 minutes late for the Franco-British ceremony, shocking the English.”
On Tuesday, Macron was almost an hour late when he showed up at the first D-Day commemoration in Plumelec, Brittany.
There was no immediate comment from the Élysee Palace about the president’s tardiness in Brigitte’s attempt to hold the queen’s hand.
The First Lady followed in the footsteps of Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who reached out to Kate Middleton to help her take a small step up at the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in May 2022.
He followed the example of fellow Americans who have raised eyebrows by being sensitive, including Michelle Obama who famously put his arm around the late queen, and LeBron James who did the same with Kate.
Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise (pictured, right) raised eyebrows at last night’s premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in London when he took the hand of Kate Middleton (pictured, left)
Another tangible moment between an American and a royal family took place in 2014, when Prince William and Kate Middleton (pictured, center) met American basketball player LeBron James (pictured, right) in New York, who put his arm around the shoulder of the Duchess hit.
One of the most infamous examples of American brushes with the British royal family came in 2009, when First Lady Michelle Obama (pictured, left) put her arm around the Queen (pictured, right)
One of the most famous tactile moments took place during a meeting between the Queen and then First Lady Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace.
The Obamas visited Her Majesty in April 2009, when she put an arm around the monarch, who reciprocated, and put an arm around the First Lady.
Although the incident raised eyebrows at the time, Michelle Obama, looking back on the interaction a decade later, at a 2019 promotional event in London for her memoir, said it was a “natural human reaction.”
“What is true among world leaders is that there are people who deal with protocol, and usually the people they represent don’t want all that protocol.
President Trump broke protocol by appearing to pat the Queen on the shoulder as she stood up to toast him
“So you wonder: Who are you doing this for? Because they don’t want it, we don’t want it.
‘But it’s just the way it is. So I don’t know if I could have done anything differently because it was a natural human response.”
She added that the Monarch branded royal protocol “nonsense” during a later visit to Windsor Castle.
Her husband’s successor in the White House, Donald Trump, later raised eyebrows by appearing to pat the queen on the shoulder as she toasted him at a state banquet in June 2019.
As the monarch stood up with her glass of sparkling English wine from Windsor Great Park, the president reached out with his left hand and placed it behind her right shoulder, as if to stroke it.
Although the term protocol is widely used, it is considered extremely poor form to touch a member of the royal family in such a formal setting. The queen did not respond and continued to play the gracious hostess.
When the Queen met Michelle Obama in 2009 and the First Lady put her arm around her, the monarch responded
Another notable moment occurred in 2014, when Kate Middleton and Prince William met Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player LeBron James in New York after a game with the Brooklyn Nets.
As the trio posed for a photo, the athlete put his arm around the Duchess in a moment that raised eyebrows and attracted a lot of attention.
Etiquette expert William Hanson told MailOnline of the touching moment: ‘While I’m sure the Duchess of Cambridge wouldn’t have been concerned about it, Mr James shouldn’t have put his arm around her.
‘Americans are much more touchy-feely than us Brits and this is another example of an American being too sensitive to British royalty. You’d think they would have learned it by now.’
However, the Cambridges don’t seem to be concerned about the moment and were seen laughing and joking during their interaction with LeBron.