Donald Trump appeared to breach royal protocol by touching the Queen on the back as she stood for his toast at the state banquet to mark his UK visit.
The US President briefly put his left hand behind the monarch and may have touched her gently as she stood following his speech at the event in Buckingham Palace.
Her Majesty seemed unfazed by the action as she toasted his speech, in which he described her as a "great, great woman,” at the dinner on Monday night.
In order to touch the Queen, protocol dictates that she must first offer her hand to you. While it is true etiquette seems to suggest she should not be touched by officials who meet her, in reality such protocol has been broken several times without official reaction or consequence.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama last year recalled the controversy she caused when she touch the Queen’s back during a visit to the UK in 2009.
When they met at a later stage, Mrs Obama said the Queen branded royal protocol “rubbish”.
In 2017, Canada’s then-Governor General David Johnston was seen supporting the Queen by gently touching her elbow as she ascended steps at Canada House in London.
He did the same thing as she later left the building, which she visited with the Duke of Edinburgh in honour of the Canadian Confederation’s 150th anniversary.
Defending his breach of protocol, he said he did it to ensure she did not slip over on the stairs.
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