The time Jimmy Carter shattered royal protocol by kissing Queen Mother on the LIPS
His presidency lasted just four years, but Jimmy Carter, who has died aged 99, is still remembered for committing one of the greatest breaches of royal protocol in history.
During a stay at Buckingham Palace prior to a NATO visit in May 1977, President Carter, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II, kissed the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, on the lips in greeting.
The Queen Mother, who died in March 2002, was not amused by the Georgian-born and raised Carter’s Southern hospitality.
No footage was taken of the offensive moment. But the Queen Mother later wrote about the unpleasant encounter, noting how she had seen Carter lean in for a kiss and try in vain to avoid him.
“No one has done that since my husband died,” she said later. “I took a sharp step back, not quite far enough.”
The Queen Mother’s husband, King George VI, died in 1952, meaning Carter was the first man to kiss her on the lips in 25 years. He was probably also the last.
President Jimmy Carter speaks with Her Majesties the Queen and the Queen Mother, as Prince Philip stands in the background, in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace during a visit in May 1977
The Queen Mother walks with President Jimmy Carter, seen right, in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace. The royal family received seven world leaders during a dinner
President Carter, right, can be seen holding the Queen Mother’s gloved left hand. Queen Elizabeth II is seen on the far left in a yellow dress
French President Giscard d’Estaing, left, talks with Queen Elizabeth II, and President Jimmy Carter accompanies the Queen Mother to pose for photographers ahead of the state dinner at Buckingham Palace on May 7, 1977. Behind Carter is Prince Philip
When men greet the Queen and other members of the royal family, they typically bow their heads or simply shake hands.
Americans don’t have to bow or curtsy. But a kiss on the lips is completely forbidden, regardless of nationality.
During the visit, Carter was seen speaking to the Queen Mother and also walked alongside her into Buckingham Palace’s Blue Drawing Room.
“At one point, as Mr. Carter stood with the Queen and other guests, he noticed the arrival of the Queen Mother,” the Associated Press wrote at the time.
“Always the Southern gentleman, Carter broke away, took her hand and escorted her to the assembled line of guests,” the AP said, without mentioning the kiss.
In the years that followed, all offense was forgotten, with Carter becoming known for his exceptional humility and charity work after leaving office.
After the Queen’s death in 2022, Carter released a statement paying tribute to Her Majesty.
“Rosalynn and I extend our condolences to the family of Queen Elizabeth II and the citizens of the United Kingdom. Her dignity, kindness and sense of duty have been an inspiration, and we join millions of people around the world in mourning a remarkable leader,” he said in a statement.
President Jimmy Carter, right, and Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London in 1977
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with President Jimmy Carter in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, May 1977
Carter is depicted with the Queen. He and other NATO heads of state attended a dinner at the palace on May 10, 1977
Carter appeared to glance at the Queen Mother during his brief visit to the palace
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (Prince Charles in the far background), Princess Margaret, Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, British Prime Minister James Callaghan, French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Queen Mother, Jimmy Carter, Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti and German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (LR) in London, May 13, 1977
The queen, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96 after serving as monarch for 70 years, met with thirteen of the fourteen US presidents who served during her reign, including Carter.
The first president she met was Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Joe Biden was the last.
Lyndon B. Johnson was the only president who did not meet Elizabeth II. He served as president between JFK’s assassination in November 1963 and 1969. During that time, Johnson focused his diplomacy efforts on Asia and Australasia. He made only two visits to Europe and did not meet the Queen.
The couple could have met at JFK’s funeral, but the queen was pregnant with her youngest son Edward at the time and unable to travel.