Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla to an official ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, but it was not without its unexpected moments.

After speeches by King Charles – he even spoke in French – and Emmanuel Macron, the two men laid wreaths in honour of the fallen at the British Normandy Memorial.

Awkward moment Brigitte Macron breaks Royal protocol as she tries to hold Queen Camilla’s hand at D-Day memorial in Normandy#Macron #DDay #Camilla #Royals pic.twitter.com/Qi3h66iYee

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 6, 2024

For their part, Queen Camilla and the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, both dressed in white, also laid wreaths, but there was an unexpected incident.

Camilla was the first to lay her wreath, followed by Brigitte Macron, who “struggled” a little to put it in place. After they moved away from the spot a little, Brigitte Macron wanted to touch the Queen’s hand, but according to the rules this is not allowed so Camilla seemed reluctant to reciprocate this gesture.

Brigitte finally let go of the Queen’s hand and the two stood side by side in front of the monument.

It should be noted that contact with members of the royal family is a sensitive issue. When one meets a member of the royal family it is customary not to go beyond a handshake.

Macron’s delay

Earlier, however, there had been another unexpected incident, with the president of France and his wife delayed – by 20 minutes – in arriving at the event, leaving the king and queen waiting.

Members of England’s royal family had already taken their seats at the event when the French head of state finally arrived at the 80th anniversary event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla did not comment on this behaviour by Macron, but the French media noticed what happened and made special mention of the matter.

The Cnews television news agency wrote: “While the King and Queen of England were already seated, Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived twenty minutes late for the Franco-British ceremony, which shocked the English.”

On Tuesday, Macron was nearly an hour late when he appeared at the first D-Day commemoration in Plumelec, Brittany.

The Élysée Palace, however, did not comment on either the couple’s lateness at the event or Brigitte Macron’s attempt to hold the Queen’s hand.