Personality in Diplomacy Matters
In matters of diplomacy, Elizabeth is formal, and royal protocol is generally very strict. Though some of the traditional rules for dealing with the Monarch have been relaxed during her reign (bowing is no longer required, for example, although it is still frequently performed), other forms of close personal interaction, such as touching, are discouraged by officials. At least five people are known to have broken this rule, the first being Alice Frazier who hugged the Queen in 1991 during her 13-day United States visit, when Elizabeth, accompanied by Barbara Bush and Jack Kemp, visited a government housing project in Washington. The second was Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia, when he was photographed with his arm around the Queen in 1992 (and was afterwards dubbed the "Lizard of Oz" by the British tabloid press). Keating was received in audience at her private Balmoral home. The third was the Canadian cyclist Louis Garneau, who did the same thing ten years later, for a photograph with the Queen. The Queen appeared to take no offence at Garneau's action. The fourth was John Howard, Paul Keating's successor as Prime Minister of Australia. In 1997 during the Cabot 500 celebrations of Newfoundland and Labrador, the then Premier Brian Tobin placed an arm behind her while walking up a staircase. This was frowned upon in the news regarding to Tobin breaking the royal rule, but the Premier said that he placed his arm around her as an effort to help an elderly woman climb the stairs. In 2009, the Queen initiated an affectionate gesture with First Lady Michelle Obama at a palace reception she attended with President Obama. The Queen rested her hand briefly at the small of the First Lady's back, a gesture that Mrs. Obama returned. It was remarked at the time as unprecedented, and described afterwards by a palace spokeswoman as "a mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation between The Queen and Michelle Obama."
Read more about this topic: Personality And Image Of Queen Elizabeth II
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