9 controversial moments between Queen Elizabeth and politicians throughout history (2024)

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When President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy, visited Buckingham Palace in 1961, tensions brewed between the first lady and Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth was reportedly jealous of the fawning attention that Jackie Kennedy received. Further drama ensued when Kennedy invited her twice-divorced brother-in-law and sister to a state dinner. The Queen initially denied their entry, causing diplomats to step in and negotiate, according to the Washington Post.

The Queen relented, but left her sister Princess Margaret and her aunt Princess Marina off the guest list since Kennedy wanted to be photographed with them.

"The queen's resentment was real," Kitty Kelly wrote in her book "The Royals."

A fictionalized version of the tense visit was portrayed on the second season of Netflix's"The Crown."

President Jimmy Carter broke royal protocol by kissing the Queen Mother on the lips during his visit in 1977.

"I took a sharp step backwards – not quite far enough," the Queen Mother is said to have remarked after the encounter, according to BBC.

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Michelle Obama caused a stir when she put her arm around Queen Elizabeth during her and President Barack Obama's first visit to Buckingham Palace in 2009.

Michelle Obamawrote in her memoir, "Becoming," that when she met Queen Elizabeth in 2009, they bonded over both wearing uncomfortable high heels.

"Forget that she sometimes wore a diamond crown and that I'd flown to London on a presidential jet; we were two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes," she wrote. "I then did what's instinctive to me anytime I feel connected to a new person, which is to express my feelings outwardly. I laid a hand affectionately across her shoulder."

She didn't realize until later that she had committed "what would be deemed as an epic faux pas," as one isn't supposed to touch the Queen.

"If I hadn't done the proper thing at Buckingham Palace, I had at least done the human thing," she wrote. "I daresay the Queen was okay with it, too, because when I touched her, she only pulled closer, resting a gloved hand lightly on the small of my back."

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President Donald Trump appeared to break royal protocol several times while visiting Windsor Castle in 2018.

Bowing or curtsying isn't necessary when greeting a royal, but the royal family's official website says that "many people wish to observe the traditional forms." Trump broke from tradition by opting for a handshake instead of a bow.

Trump also walked in front of the Queen and appeared to cut her off, which is considered a breach of royal protocol, according to The New York Times.

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Some theorized that Queen Elizabeth's choice of brooches may have sent subtle messages about her opinion of Trump.

On the first day of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump's visit to the UK in 2018, Queen Elizabeth wore a brooch given to her by Barack and Michelle Obama.

When she actually met with Trump, she wore a brooch that her mother wore to her father's funeral, which some thought could be a subtle sign of the Queen's opinion of the president.

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Queen Elizabeth's tiara also caused speculation that she shaded President Donald Trump on his second visit to the UK.

Queen Elizabeth wore her Burmese Ruby Tiara to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace held in the Trumps' honor. The tiara contains 96 rubies that were given to the Queen as a gift from the people of Burma (also known as Myanmar).

The Queen's choice of the tiara, which is said to be a "symbol of protection against illness and evil," sparked theories among some Twitter users that she wore it purposely to dine with Trump.

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At the state banquet, Trump appeared to touch Queen Elizabeth's back.

About 14 and a half minutes into a USA Today livestream of the event, it looked like Trump lightly touched the Queen's back as she rose from her seat, which would have been a breach of royal protocol. Royal protocol dictates that one must not touch the Queen unless she offers her hand first.

The Trump White House did not respond to a request for comment.

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President Joe Biden may have broken royal protocol by leaving his sunglasses on when he met the Queen during his first visit overseas trip as president.

The Queen welcomed the Bidens to Windsor Castle on Sunday. Biden kept his sunglasses on throughout the beginning of the visit, only taking them off halfway through the playing of the national anthem during a ceremony at the castle's quadrangle.

Theroyal family websitedoes not specifically state that sunglasses cannot be worn during a meeting with the Queen, but a former palace employee told Newsweek that the glasses break tradition.

"If you're meeting the Queen face-to-face, there's no sunglasses or anything like that at all because eye contact is quite important with any introduction," Grant Harrold, who served as a royal butler to Prince Charles,told Newsweek.

The White House and Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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Biden may have also broken an unspoken royal rule by revealing what he and the Queen spoke about, but she may have approved it to make a political point.

Biden said that Queen Elizabeth asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, "She wanted to know what the two leaders that I — the one I'm about to meet with, Mr. Putin — and she wanted to know about Xi Jinping," without going into detail.

There is no strict rule about revealing what the Queen says to you, but it goes against established convention to do so, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Insider's Mia Jankowicz.

However, Fitzwilliams floated a theory that Biden's comments may have been "cleared and arranged in advance," he said, to give royal weight to the G7's democratic values.

The Queen never comments on political matters, but this move could have allowed Biden "to indicate the Queen had concerns" about threats to democracy, Fitzwilliam said.