Trump breaks royal protocol straight away as King Charles visits US | Royal | News
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met with King George III on Monday for the opening day of their state visit. Charles and the Queen welcomed Camilla to the White House.
It wasn’t long before the US president violated royal protocol.
Following their arrival in the United States, the couple headed to the South Lawn of the White House for a reception, where they were greeted by the President and posed for a photo together.
Donald Trump The First Lady offered the King a firm handshake while kissing the Queen on both cheeks; The couple then exchanged pleasant conversations and stood up to take photos.
After the photos were taken, they began heading towards the main building of the White House for the garden party. Trump tapped the King on the shoulder as he turned to advance.
The gesture violated royal protocol, violating the unwritten rule against initiating physical contact.
Although the gesture was interpreted as a sign of warmth, body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: “This touch on the arm as he entered also appeared to be a more political gesture.
“This was also the first real gesture of an active, ‘private’ friendship from a Trump that is much more subdued than the exuberant rituals we’ve seen in his recent meetings.” [in September 2025]”
James noted that the King appeared unimpressed by this breach of protocol.
“Charles always seemed more relaxed about it than his mother [Queen Elizabeth II]and Trump’s action was extremely harsh on Trump.
“Just a light, temporary, very gentle touch to guide Charles in,” James added.
He noted that the handshake between the two lasted about eight seconds and appeared business-like, while Melania added a more informal atmosphere to the reception.
“This initial greeting ritual gave the impression of friendliness on the surface, and Melania’s cheek kisses created the impression of warmth with an almost ‘family’ style approach,” James said.
This is not the first time Trump has been observed violating royal protocol with British monarchs.
During his state visit to the UK in July 2018, he was photographed turning his back to the Queen and walking in front of her as she passed soldiers.
He also appeared to break protocol when he grabbed Charles above the elbow during a visit to London last year.
The King and Queen’s state visit comes on the heels of a security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in which a suspect fired a gun in an alleged assassination attempt.
Despite this, the visit went ahead and the couple faced a packed travel schedule.
Charles will address Congress on Tuesday, marking the second time a British monarch has done so; The first was his mother in 1991.
