Donald Trump’s second UK visit is making headlines as he and First Lady Melania Trump are meeting the Royals. While Trump’s visit in the UK has seen protestors condemning his presence there, King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with Prince William and Kate Middleton have given the Presidential couple a rather warm welcome.
However, Trump broke a major protocol upon his meeting with King Charles and since the moment went viral, netizens have been calling out Trump on his audacious behavior. For context, after Trump and Melania were received by Prince William and Kate, King Charles and Queen Camilla officially welcomed the US President and his wife.
What happened next is what has created the controversy. Trump and Melania did not follow the traditional rule of bowing or curtsying in front of the King and Queen to show their respect. Instead, both he and his wife offered their hands, as that is the general custom in America.
After that Trump was seen to be walking before the King, which was again taken as a sign of disrespect. While the internet criticized their behavior, it’s worth noting that the official royal website does not specify any strict rules to be followed while meeting the King and Queen.
However, the general tradition of meeting the Royals is bowing and curtsying for men and women, respectively. The internet seemed to be divided upon Trump and Melania’s gestures as some criticized them badly while others supported the President and how he handled the meeting.
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Narinder Kaur, a former Big Brother U.K. star, was among those who felt that Trump had disrespected the Monarchy by not following the rules. She tweeted, “Oh god.. he’s walking in front of the King, like Charles doesn’t even exist or matter!”
Another one voiced the same opinion, saying, “Trump did not bow to King Charles. Protocol shattered. The answer is written in plain sight: who walks ahead, inspects the guard, and takes the place of honor? That is the King.”
A third user added, “Embarrassing! He never learns! Donald Trump ignored Royal etiquette and protocol by walking in front of the Queen. Trump is uncouth. No class!”
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However, there were tweets made in support of Trump as well. One user wrote, “My president better not bow to anyone. He’s the most powerful person on the planet, representing the most powerful land in Earth’s history. Charles should have kneeled before Trump.”
Another one supported the opinion, saying, “Trump, as a head of state on a formal visit, should not bow. He is equal to the King, so I think he is exempt for that reason on its own. But perhaps also as a US citizen, King Charles is not his king.”
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While Trump’s initial greetings to the King and Queen drew significant attention, his compliments to Kate also grabbed the attention of netizens. Trump bluntly called Kate extremely beautiful and the internet found it incredibly inappropriate for a President to behave that way.
With protests happening over Trump’s visit in the UK and him getting criticized upon multiple instances because of how he is behaving there, it now remains to be seen if the President makes any comments on any of these events.
