He’s about to head to a NATO summit but it would appear that US President, Joe Biden, has weightier matters to deal with. After popping in for tea at Windsor Castle with King Charles III, POTUS is caught up in a debate about whether he broke royal protocol by putting his hand on the Monarch’s shoulder.
President Biden reached out, quite literally, to King Charles several times during their meeting at Windsor. And that was just the parts we saw. As His Majesty welcomed the US leader on the Quadrangle, he was given a presidential pat at regular intervals. At one point, as the two men approached the red carpet to walk back the dais, they engaged in such a prolonged bout of camaraderie that the cucumber sandwiches inside the castle were in danger of starting to curl up due to neglect.
Once inside, they were slightly less joined at the hip but by then, the discussions had started. Can a president pat a king on the shoulder? And, now that it has happened, has protocol been broken?
Embed from Getty ImagesAh yes, protocol, that old favourite. The dictionary tells us that protocol is ”a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations.”
However, in the 21st century, under the spotlight of social media, it can also mean anything that looks slightly different from what we think will probably happen. Hand on royal shoulder is right at the top of that list.
Somehow, it has become an accepted norm that royalty is not to be touched. Hands can be shaken, bows and curtsies can be accompanied by a brief brushing of fingers but, otherwise, back off. Quite where this apparent accepted wisdom has come from is a mystery. Anything other than a handshake is just not, well, protocol.
Except, no such protocol appears to exist. There is nothing to say that a royal has to be kept in an imaginary bubble. Of course, there are security concerns. But, let’s face it, meeting a fellow head of state doesn’t come under that. The raised eyebrows have come about because it’s become a strangely accepted wisdom that it is just not cricket to touch a king.
Once upon a time, laying hands on the Monarch was a big no no. But we call those times ‘medieval’. And even then, royals weren’t thought of as strange beings who can never be touched as they appear to be in parts of that strange being that is the internet right now. There was never a majestic forcefield around a crowned head that repulsed the peasants trying to get closer. There might have been bodyguards with spears but there was no protocol.
In fact, for centuries, the King’s Touch was an important part of royal life. It was thought that a monarch laying their hand on a person with the disease, scrofula, would cure them of the condition. We’ve spent quite a lot of time not wrapping our royals in proverbial cotton wool so quite why we are now is a bit mysterious.
Embed from Getty ImagesBesides, King Charles looked really rather relaxed with his presidential pal and his persistent pats. He welcomed the gestures and quite right, too. They were made in friendship and the so called special relationship isn’t going to boom if The King and the President are meant to stay on other sides of the quadrangle from each other.
At least it’s given us all a sense of familiarity in these strange times. We haven’t had a row about protocol for at least a week, since Roger Federer put his hand on the back of the Princess of Wales at Wimbledon. The ravens didn’t leave the Tower then and they won’t be going anywhere tonight either.
