As President Donald Trump prepares to embark on a state visit with King Charles III in England this week, a long pattern of awkward moments between U.S. presidents, first ladies and members of the British royal family has resurfaced.
Over decades, visits have produced small breaches of protocol, verbal slips and misreadings of royal custom that were widely reported and, at times, mocked by the press. The incidents range from an alleged kiss to a mis-timed toast and a physical misstep that violated a long-standing convention on monarchic precedence.
One of the earliest widely reported episodes occurred in 1977, when President Jimmy Carter attended a summit dinner at Buckingham Palace. Media accounts at the time suggested Carter kissed the Queen Mother on the lips during a greeting. Carter later said he had kissed her on the cheek, but British tabloids continued to repeat the story for years.
President George W. Bush stumbled verbally during a 2007 White House dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II. While welcoming the queen, Bush mistakenly said, “You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 ... in 1976,” a flub that drew laughter from attendees. He later recalled that the queen gave him “a look that only a mother could give a child,” an exchange that softened the moment.
During a visit in 2009, first lady Michelle Obama put her hand on the back of Queen Elizabeth II, breaking a long-observed convention that the monarch should not be touched unless she initiates contact. The queen then returned the gesture by placing her hand on the first lady’s back as well.
President Barack Obama was speaking at a Buckingham Palace dinner in 2011 when the orchestra unexpectedly began playing the British national anthem, “God Save the Queen.” Rather than stopping his toast while the anthem played, Obama continued with his remarks. When he finished, the queen waited for the anthem to end before raising her glass.
A more physical breach of royal protocol occurred during a 2018 visit by then-President Trump to Windsor Castle, where he and Queen Elizabeth II inspected a guard of honor. Trump stepped ahead of the queen, entering her walking path. In British ceremonial practice, the monarch is customarily allowed to lead the way.
Officials and royal aides have generally treated such incidents as etiquette lapses rather than diplomatic ruptures. State visits involve complex choreography and high public scrutiny, and minor missteps often attract outsized attention in the press and on social media.
The examples underscore both the symbolic importance of protocol in Anglo-American ceremonial exchanges and the difficulty of observing every formal convention during high-profile events. As President Trump prepares to meet King Charles III, aides on both sides are expected to manage the visit closely to minimize similar slips and to ensure the ceremonial elements of the trip proceed as planned.