Things Got Weird as France's First Lady Broke 'Royal Protocol' to Hold Queen Camilla's Hand

French First Lady Brigitte Macron may have broken royal decorum by trying and failing to touch Queen Camilla's hand. An awkward moment took place between Macron, 71, and Queen Consort Camilla, 76, during Thursday's event honoring the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France. A video shared on X by the Daily Mail showed the French president's wife attempting to hold the royal's hand after they laid wreaths at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer. But Queen Camilla kept her arm at her side and didn't return the gesture. 

Macron stood aside and crossed her arms over her chest after briefly holding the royal's hand. As reported by People, all parties involved were reunited for the royal family's visit to the beachfront British Normandy Memorial. The Macrons had previously spent time together in September 2023 during the King and Queen's official visit to France.

The ceremony itself was held by the Royal British Legion and the Ministry of Defense to commemorate the momentous anniversary of the D-Day landings, or the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, which was a huge military operation involving over 156,000 troops, 7,000 ships, and 10,000 vehicles. The operation was a watershed moment in WWII and the start of the liberation of northwest Europe that had been occupied by the Nazis.

Nonetheless, people on social media took note of the royal gaffe; one observer even went so far as to say that Camilla did 'not reciprocate.' One user wrote, "Given the nature of the event where allies came together to show unity in the face of facism, you’d have thought that Camilla could have held another human’s hand." Another one wrote, "Camilla’s been a ‘Queen’ for about a second. She should of appreciated the loving gesture and held her hand." One more user added, "That kind of royal ‘protocol’ is embarrassingly out of date. Brigitte Macron made a human gesture, bonding over loss, and Camilla blew it." Another said, ""Protocol" should never interfere with humanity."

On the other hand, the website of the royal family stated, "There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting the Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms." Camilla may or may not have purposefully disregarded Macron's hand. Having said that, a former butler to King Charles told Business Insider that it is often considered a violation of royal decorum to initiate physical contact with members of the royal family.

Grant Harrold told the outlet, "A royal handshake should consist of two-to-three pumps, with your palms open and thumbs down. If you are a member of the public meeting a member of the royal family, you should never offer your hand to shake — wait for them to initiate the handshake." Harrold also noted that this may put them in harm's way, and it's also terrible manners. Harrold explained, "As well as an etiquette rule, it poses a major security risk if someone is able to get so close that they are able to touch members of the Royal Family."