King Felipe and Queen Letizia hosted the traditional annual reception for the diplomatic corps in Madrid’s Royal Palace on. Wednesday, but it was one moment in particular that caught the attention of all the cameras.
At the reception, Their Majesties met a line-up of diplomats who wished to greet the royals.
It was here where cameras captured the Iranian ambassador to Iran, Hassan Ghashghavi, shake the King’s hand, but walk away from Queen Letizia after only exchanging a glance.
Other diplomats were keen to shake the hands of both The King and Queen, and given the tense situation between Iran and Western nations, many have taken the view that this is a sign of the Islamic Republic’s displease towards the nation.
In reality, Islamic customs dictate that men cannot touch women they’re not related to, neither at home nor abroad.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ambassador in Madrid, Hassan Ghashghavi, refuses to shake hands with Queen Letizia of Spain pic.twitter.com/ae0NEODya4
— Karim Sadjadpour (@ksadjadpour) January 25, 2023
Royals are aware of this, and at engagements, we often see them touching their hearts instead of initiating bodily contact if there are religious considerations.
This is why Queen Letizia doesn’t make the gesture of extending her hand, opting instead for a quick, small smile.
It is unclear why the observance of a long-standing custom between muslim and non-muslims have caught the imagination of the social media – this is a long standing practice.
Back in 2012, many criticised the then-Duchess of Cambridge for doing the opposite during a medal ceremony at the 2012 Paralympics, when, in handing out the discus silver medal to an Iranian competitor, she inadvertently extended her hand, which the athlete didn’t shake, instead clutching his hands to his chest in a “thank you” gesture.
At the end of the lineup, King Felipe, Queen Letizia, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign affairs moved to the Throne Room, where all the guests were waiting for them.
It was time for the traditional speeches, which were kicked off by a few words from the Apostolic Nuncio, who serves as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps. This is a custom that is applied only in Roman Catholic countries, while everywhere else the Dean position is covered by the Ambassador with the longest length of service in the country.
The King then took the microphone to offer his thoughts, during which he said that “it is essential for the international community, of which you all here are high representatives, keeps working in favour of a peaceful international order, in which justice and law prevail, rather than impositions with the use of armed forces or the threat of it”.
Before the end of the reception, King Felipe and Queen Letizia held a more informal meeting with all guests attending the ceremony.
