Queen Elizabethhad no problem whenMichelle Obamaput an arm around her during a past visit to Buckingham Palace.
Angela Kelly, who is the Queen’s dressmaker and close confidant, explained that the monarch actually welcomed the warm gesture as recalled in her bookThe Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, whichHello!exclusively shared an excerpt of.
“The Queen has the ability to make everyone feel so relaxed that sometimes it feels instinctive to be tactile with her, just asMichelle Obamademonstrated during the State Visit with her husband,President Obama, in 2009,” wrote Kelly.
“Much has been made about the meeting between Michelle and her Majesty when an instant and mutual warmth was shared between these two remarkable women, and protocol was abandoned as they stood closely with their arms around each other’s backs,” she continued, noting that in that particular situation “there is no protocol that must be adhered to.”
“In reality, it was a natural instinct for the Queen to show affection and respect for another great woman,” Kelly added. “When fondness is felt or the host of a State Visit goes to guide her Majesty up some steps, it truly is about human kindness and this is something the Queen will always welcome warmly.”
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“If I hadn’t done the proper thing at Buckingham Palace, I had at leastdone the human thing,” she wrote. “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.”
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According to Obama, the moment stemmed from a simple bond between the pair over their uncomfortable shoes.
Despite what many commonly believe, theroyal family’s websitestates that “There are no obligatory codes of behavior when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms.”
If the individual wishes to observe the traditional forms, it is advised that men perform a “neck bow (from the head only)” while women do a “small curtsy.”
“Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way,” the website notes.
The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobewill be released on Oct. 29.
source: people.com
