Michelle Obama & Britain’s Queen Elizabeth Hug it Out

Media outlets covering Barack Obama‘s first major trip abroad since becoming president are abuzz with a big question: Did first lady Michelle Obama breach protocol by putting her arm around Britain’s Queen Elizabeth?

The Obamas met the monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The Associated Press reports on how the two couples exchanged gifts — the Obamas gave the queen an iPod, and the royals gave signed portraits of themselves to the Obamas.

But the bigger headline came out of the reception that Buckingham Palace threw for leaders attending the G-20 summit in London. It was there that Elizabeth rested her hand on Michelle Obama’s back. A moment later, the first lady reciprocated.

The small gesture spawned this headline in the Times of London: “Protocol is abandoned as Michelle Obama cozies up to queen.”

“It is usually a breach of protocol to touch the queen,” the story notes, listing other world leaders who have run afoul of the royal rule. In 1992, for example, Australia’s prime minister was called the “Lizard of Oz” after he put his arm around Elizabeth.

Back on this side of the Atlantic, Time takes a more measured look at the incident, explaining the history of the don’t-touch rule. The magazine also points out that the queen touched first.

“Michelle Obama put her hand on the queen only after the queen had placed her own hand on the first lady’s back as part of their conversation,” Time’s Howard Chua-Eoan writes. “So there is room for theological argument as to whether the American reciprocity of touch was allowable given the social dynamics of the situation.”

Maybe the Queen was happy to meet the First Lady and simply wanted a hug? What’s the big freakin’ deal?

Popularity: unranked [?]