DID MELANIA TRUMP BREAK THE PROTOCOL BY FORGETTING TO REVERENCE ELIZABETH II?
Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, were welcomed this Monday, June 3, by Queen Elizabeth II and her son, Prince Charles, at Buckingham Palace. As they greeted the Queen, the US President and the First Lady both shook hands with the Sovereign. Is this a first break in protocol?
The American leader, who is starting a three-day official visit across the Channel, preferred a handshake to the traditional hand-kissing performed by men when they meet the Queen of England. Melania Trump imitated her husband by shaking his hand in turn and therefore did not sketch a curtsy. First misstep?
The Queen officially welcomes President Trump to Buckingham Palace, with the sound of a gun salute in the background#TrumpUKVisit latest updates: https://t.co/4zaqzAiNZz pic.twitter.com/yG3bG7qAVz
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) June 3, 2019
No, not really, according to the royal family themselves. Indeed, according to the official website of the latter, the American presidential couple did not commit any blunder to the place of the nonagenarian monarch.
According to the protocol, the men should make a slight nod, while the women should make a "little bow" to greet the Queen. However, after these explanations, one can also find the following clarification: "Others will prefer simply to shake hands, in the usual way".
A passage showing that the gestures of greeting of Donald and Melania Trump - although less often chosen by the interlocutors of the Queen - still remain "authorized" by the protocol. Phew.
