No reverence. Brigitte Macron’s French kiss to welcome Queen Camilla

Charles III arrived in France on a three-day official visit this Wednesday, September 20. Having just arrived in Orly, where he was greeted by Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne, the English king made his way to the Arc de Triomphe, where he and his wife Camilla were welcomed by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron. There we pondered a point: was the first lady going to bow down to the British monarch?

As some already expected, Brigitte Macron chose to kiss Queen Camilla and shake hands with King Charles III. Which is in no way a violation of protocol and does not threaten a diplomatic incident.

Officially, “there is no binding code of conduct,” the official website of the British monarchy states, noting, however, that a few rules and courtesies are required. According to tradition, men should bow their heads slightly downwards to greet the King of England. Women, on the other hand, perform the kurtis, which consists of a short skirt, the right foot behind the left heel, the head tilted downwards. But a handshake can be enough as the chest is optional. In this case, Charles III should be reaching out to you, not the other way around. So no wrong move for Brigitte Macron.

in the footsteps of First ladies

However, journalist Thomas Pernet recalls in HuffPost that former first ladies of France were in awe of Elizabeth II. “Bernadette Chirac lost herself in deep arcs. During Carla Bruni-Sarkozy’s state visit in 2008, we all wondered if she was going to do it. He finally did the perfect kurti and the French and the English were absolutely delighted.”

for the author of The royal survival (and manners) manual (ed. Epa), giving up reverence is an implied choice and almost even a political one. Brigitte Macron thus accepts the American model. And for good reason, “America’s first lady never dares, it’s a matter of pride in the face of a former colonial power,” deciphers Thomas Pernet, still M. HuffPost:.