Biden’s King Charles Greeting Is Basically a Repeat of Michelle Obama and Queen Elizabeth
President Joe Biden touched King Charles III’s arm during a meeting at Windsor Castle in a move not unlike Michelle Obama with Queen Elizabeth II years earlier. Similar to the queen and the former first lady, the gesture has received much attention. Some experts say the president’s greeting wasn’t an etiquette slip-up. Rather, it’s being dubbed a “sign of friendship.”
The king and Biden’s greeting looked ‘mutually respectful’ to an etiquette expert
According to Jacqueline Whitmore, etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, when President Biden touched King Charles on July 10, 2023, in Windsor, England, wasn’t a disregard for royal protocol.
“President Biden and King Charles III are both heads of state,” Whitmore said (via Newsweek). “They are peers and considered equal. According to protocol, commoners should not touch royals unless the royal person reaches out first.
“Protocol is about a level playing field so each person feels equally respected,” the etiquette expert explained. “This encounter appeared to be mutually respectful. There was no violation of protocol since Biden was not seeking to put the king at a disadvantage.”
“This is a typical ‘Biden’ greeting and should not be taken with any offense,” Whitmore added. “When men shake hands with one another in business and social settings, they oftentimes put their left hand on the other person’s forearm, and occasionally on the back. This is an extension of the handshake and a sign of friendship.”
Biden didn’t break ‘royal protocol’ touching King Charles’s arm, ‘heads of state make their own rules’
“Queen Elizabeth II once told Michelle Obama, who famously gave her a hug which she warmly reciprocated, that royal protocol is ‘rubbish,'” Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, said. “Heads of state make their own rules too and onlookers are always fascinated by their body language.”
“In the case of King Charles and President Biden, there was much to notice,” he continued. “The president touched his arm, the king reciprocated, and then the president put his hand on the king’s back.”
“There will be those who regard this as a breach of royal protocol,” Fitzwilliams explained. “But a palace source has stressed that it was warm and friendly, and the king was ‘entirely comfortable’ with it.”
King Charles was a ‘touch magnet’ for President Joe Biden
Body language expert Judi James also examined the king and president’s greeting, telling The U.S. Sun: “For a greeting like a handshake, the protocol is for the royal to extend their hand first. Biden’s forthcoming touch rituals might not have been offensive but they would have been unusual.”
“The general guideline refers to not touching a royal until they touch you first,” she added, noting for the king “this would mean never because he has never been a tactile royal.”
For Biden, James continued, “Charles seemed to be a touch magnet,” with the 80-year-old treating the king more like a “cherished friend that he had not seen for a while.”
When it came to King Charles and Biden’s handshake, the gesture happened in what the body language expert called the “intimate zone of friendship.”
“Steering gestures” ensued on both sides with the president and monarch seemingly ushering the other to walk ahead.
“Whatever the etiquette, this is still a sweet display, with both men looking rather of age,” James said, noting three were a few gestures and facial expressions that hinted at some “awkwardness.”
“They helped each other,” she added. “Especially as Biden did seem to walk awkwardly. Their mood seemed light-hearted as they both chuckled a lot together.”
All in all, there were many public displays of affection, or PDA. So many, in fact, James said, “Biden performed a greater amount of tactile PDAs on King Charles in the space of half an hour than [Queen] Camilla has during their entire marriage.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
