The Awkward moment Brigitte Macron tries to hold hands with Camilla at D-Day memorial.

 

Brigitte Macron committed something of a faux pas today when she tried to hold hands with a rather reluctant Queen Camilla.

 

Queen Camilla

The mishap occurrsed when the Queen and Mrs Macron, both dressed in white, laid wreaths at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer.

After placing their flowers, they stepped back to take a moment of reflection and the First Lady reached out to the Queen, but Camilla seemed somewhat reluctant to proffer her gloved hand.

After appearing to give the royal’s hand a slight squeeze, Mrs Macron dropped it and the two stood side by side in front of the memorial.

While her gesture was no doubt well meant, getting tactile with members of the royal family is always a thorny issue.

According to the Royal Family’s website there are ‘no obligatory codes of behaviour’ when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but there’s an unwritten rule that you shouldn’t go beyond a handshake.

While younger members of the royal family like Prince William and the Princess of Wales are known for being more relaxed and doling out hugs, the older generation follow the example of the late Queen who was not tactile with members of the public.

President Emmanuel Macron also kept the King and Queen waiting when he was 20 minutes late for a showpiece D-Day memorial ceremony today.

The Royals were already sitting waiting on Thursday morning when France’s head of state finally arrived at the 80th anniversary event at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer.

King Charles and Queen Camilla did not comment on the behaviour of Mr Macron, who was accompanied by his wife, Brigitte Macron.

But French media noticed what happened, and it was widely reported.

Cnews, the TV news outlet, wrote: ‘While the King and Queen of England were already installed, Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived twenty minutes late for the Franco-British ceremony, which shocked the English.’

On Tuesday, Mr Macron was almost an hour late when he turned up at the first D-Day commemoration in Plumelec, Brittany.

There was no immediate comment from the Élysee Palace about the President’s tardiness of Brigitte’s attempt to hold the Queen’s hand.

The First Lady followed in the footsteps of Hollywood star Tom Cruise who offered his hand to Kate Middleton to assist her up a small set of steps at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere in May 2022.

He followed the example of fellow Americans who have raised eyebrows by being touchy feely, including Michelle Obama who famously put an arm around the late Queen and LeBron James who did the same with Kate.