HANDS OFF

Brigitte Macron Awkwardly Breaks Royal Protocol With Queen Camilla

The interaction made for an embarrassing moment of silence at the D-Day memorial in Normandy.

The wives of French President Emmanuel Macron and King Charles shared an awkward moment while visiting the D-Day Memorial in Normandy on Thursday. After laying wreaths at the base of the monument to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the landing, Brigitte Macron could be seen reaching for Queen Camilla’s hand as they both backed away from the memorial. That reach constitutes a breach of royal protocol—the appropriate norm is to wait until the royal initiates contact. Although Camilla kept her hands firmly at her sides, clearly not initiating contact with Macron, the wife of the French president insisted, grabbing Camilla’s hand in what was likely intended as a show of unity. Camilla then resisted, keeping her arms glued to her sides as Macron finally got the message. The two of them then awkwardly stood side by side with their heads bowed, not touching, to observe a moment of silence in respect for the veterans.