President Joe Biden, 80, visited Windsor Castle Monday and met with King Charles III of the U.K., 74, for the first time since the monarch’s coronation in May.
Though the two men looked happy to see each other, some speculated that Biden broke protocol during their exchange by putting his hand on Charles’ back, according to The Independent.
In 2018, Reuters reported that “touching Queen Elizabeth has long been considered one of the greatest taboos surrounding the British monarch, one of the unwritten rules about how people are expected to behave around the royal family.”
Lucy Hume – associate director of Debrett’s, a professional coaching company founded in 1769 – said it is “best not to initiate personal physical contact with a member of the royal family,” at the time. However, she also said that people who do shouldn’t expect to get in trouble.
“There are no official legal rules in place. Apologize if you feel you may have caused offense, but try not to panic, and stay calm,” Hume said.
According to Buckingham Palace sources cited by People Magazine and CNN, Charles didn’t take any offense to Biden’s gesture. It actually appears that he viewed it as a sign of solidarity between the U.S. and the U.K.
“What a wonderful symbol of warmth and affection it was between both the individuals and their nations,” said the source. That source added that Biden followed protocol by walking in front of Charles during the inspection of the Guard of Honor, though some reports also speculated that was a protocol breach.
Biden’s meeting with Charles “underscored the strength of the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom and the friendship between our people,” said the White House. After the meeting, they also met with “23 leading philanthropists and financiers to help catalyze finance to support emerging markets and developing countries in tackling the climate crisis.”
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