French President Emmanuel Macron broke royal and diplomatic protocol several times during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to Paris on Wednesday, reported British outlet GB News.
While the king was greeting audiences in Paris, the French President was observed reaching out and touching King Charles on the arm and back. In a gesture signifying their close personal connection, this was a small infraction, but nonetheless a breach of royal etiquette: one does not touch “royals.”
Macron’s second gaffe was to invite British Labor Party leader Keir Starmer to the Élysée Palace, vying to create a rapport with Starmer on the apparent assumption that the left-wing party will win the next election.
Macron and his wife Brigitte attended the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral last September where Macron also breached royal protocol by touching the new British monarch.
According to royals expert Richard Fitzwilliams, Macron’s actions reflect his “forceful” personality.
King Charles and Macron are known to have close ties, as seen by their conversation during COP26 in Glasgow in 2021.
In March of this year, Charles and Camilla had planned to make a visit to France their first as monarchs, but violence and demonstrations in the country thwarted their plans.
The French president flouted Morocco’s royal protocol this past week when he addressed the Moroccan people directly in a video.