The former First Lady, Michelle Obama, recently published her memoires entitled Becoming. This was a great opportunity for Barack Obama’s wife to look back on her years as First Lady and particularly, to remember when she touched Queen Elizabeth II, violating protocol when she did so.
Discover our latest podcast
The day was 1st April 2009, when the Obamas were invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace. The First Lady was wearing a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes which looked great but weren’t very comfortable.
‘The Queen then glanced down at the pair of black Jimmy Choos I was wearing. She shook her head. I confessed then to the Queen that my feet were hurting. She confessed hers hurt too. We looked at each other then with identical expressions, like, when is all this standing around with world leaders going to finally wrap up? And with this, she busted out with a fully charming laugh,’ wrote Michelle Obama in her memoires.
‘We were just two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes,’ she continued.
Not everyone was offended
This situation visibly brought these two women together, to such an extent that Michelle Obama committed an act that although may seem harmless, actually broke protocol. The First Lady… touched the Queen. Shocking!
‘I did what’s instinctive to me any time I feel connected to a new person. I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder,’ described Barack Obama’s wife.
‘I couldn’t have known it in the moment, but I was committing what would be deemed an epic faux pas,’ she confessed in her writings.
What’s more, the Queen didn’t seem to be all that shocked by this.
‘I daresay that the Queen was okay with it too, because when I touched her, she only pulled closer, resting a gloved hand lightly on the small of my back,’ recounted the former First Lady in her memoir.
However, protocol is very strict about this type of thing. Touching the Queen is forbidden! At the time this took place, the press were shocked.
