Watch: Trump cuts ahead to greet his own cabinet as King Charles waits awkwardly for a handshake; here’s the full story

An awkward moment during Donald Trump’s White House meeting with King Charles III and Queen Camilla sparked social media chatter after a video clip appeared to show the US president cutting ahead in a handshake line and greeting his own cabinet and turning his back on the royal couple.

The clip quickly led to claims online that Trump had breached royal etiquette by appearing to interrupt the greeting line and leaving King Charles standing awkwardly with his hand extended.



Although there are no written rules on Royal etiquettes, the Royal Household website states, "There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting the King and Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms.”

The viral clip showed Queen Camilla shaking hands with a line of officials on the White House lawn before Trump appeared to step in and greet members of his own cabinet. He then turned his back on the Queen while continuing the introductions, while King Charles briefly stood beside him, extending his hand for a shake.

At first glance, the moment looked like an unusual breach of protocol, especially as Trump appeared to move ahead of the King in greeting senior officials.

But the longer version of the video tells a slightly different story, a less dramatic one. Moments earlier, after entering alongside Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, King Charles had already begun making his way down the long receiving line, greeting senior members of the Trump administration standing in the row.

He shook hands with Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and several others.

However, after greeting White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, the King appeared to signal he was done, throwing up his hands and making a remark that caused those waiting nearby to laugh. King Charles then began walking toward the stage, while Trump continued greeting the remaining officials in line.


The Daily Mail reported on Monday that Donald Trump and King Charles III share a common ancestor, the 3rd Earl of Lennox, making them reportedly 15th cousins.

Reacting to the report, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday: “Wow, that’s nice. I’ve always wanted to live in Buckingham Palace!!! I’ll talk to the King and Queen about this in a few minutes!!! President DJT.”