When you are granted the honor of being received by the Queen of England, who is the highest representative of the temporal sphere in the West, you should refrain from touching her. You should never take the initiative of shaking her hand, but just accept the gesture if and when she offers her hand to you. If she extends her hand to you and you are a lady, a small reverence (curtsy) is appropriate while holding her hand; if you are a man, a slight bow should express the honor of being in her presence.

Unless you are one of her close relatives, you should never take the initiative of embracing the Queen of England.

This basic rule of protocol, which is obvious to anyone but to Mrs. Michele Obama, reflects the good hierarchical order of society.

Queen Elizabeth is the symbol of a millennial monarchy; she incarnates the History of England. Therefore, she should be treated with due solemnity and respect.

It is sad to see that our First Lady does not know this and did not care enough to learn it before her visit to Buckingham Palace. What is even worse is the hypothesis that she purposely broke the protocol to show her egalitarian scorn for the social hierarchy. Such an attitude says a lot about where our country is heading.

Let our readers - who are not Michele Obama and are not in the presence of Queen Elizabeth - follow the correct protocol and apply this same rule with those who are their social superiors.

Do not take the initiative of embracing them.

Elaine M. Jordan

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Posted May 28, 2010

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