Etiquette experts in the UK are in a redfaced tizzy Tuesday morning after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended an NBA basketball game last night (Cavs vs. Nets in Brooklyn) and LeBron James broached royal etiquette by putting his arm around Kate Middleton in a post-game photo op.
“Although I am sure the Duchess of Cambridge won’t have worried about it, Mr James should not have put his arm around her,” royal etiquette expert William Hanson told the Daily Mail.
“Americans are much more tactile than we Brits and this is another example of an American being too touchy feely with British royalty. You’d have think they’d have learned by now.”
Hanson echoed the sentiments of many Brits when he said, furthermore, that LeBron’s decision to appear in a “sweaty top” was bad form.
“A shower would have been preferable but he had just finished a game – so even more reason for him not have opened his pits by lifting his arm and placing it around Her Royal Highness!’
Earlier in the game, Prince William and Kate met Jay-Z and Beyonce and shook hands while the People Magazine photographers all pooped their pants and jotted down “Holding Court” puns en masse.
The duke and duchess attended the game, via The Guardian, to mark a new partnership between their royal foundation and the NBA. Looks like they’ll be working with (or at least funding) United For Wildlife and the Coach Core program, which aims to encourage a new generation of sports coaches.
This article appears in Dec 3-9, 2014.
Maybe he missed that class at SVSM?
I’m pretty sure we fought and won a war so that we didn’t have to continue to kiss royalty’s a$$.
When in Rome . . . Americans are always lectured about adopting the customs and habits of the countries we visit. That’s how Americans take pictures. I’m sure LeBron would feel he was being rude if he didn’t put his arm around the person who had his picture taken with him.
Deal with it.
Dear UK,
Suck our American dicks.
Sincerely,
The Revolutionaries that kicked you out of our lives
“You’d have think they’d have learned by now.”
This is America
You guys are rubbish.
I’m an Ex Pat. Proud to be an American, and although, yes, custom does dictate that you don’t behave so familiarly with a member of the Royal family, I’m less put off by that, and more so that he did it sweaty….I don’t care if your Royal or not, no one wants a stinky pit rubbed into their shiny clean hair….Gross!
As for those of you who say, “We fought a war so that we didn’t have to kiss royal ass”…. blah blah blah…get over yourselves!
Sorry, you are in our country and it is our customs that we follow here, if he went to England, I’m sure they would have brushed him up on their etiquette. I personally though may not have wanted a sweaty arm pit on my shoulder though, lol.
She’s a Duchess and he’s a King…not sure I see the problem! 🙂
F@#K that! They’re in the MF’n United States now…Etiquette is to hug a person when you take a picture!!!
I think its fine -he treated her as a real person how wonderful !!
I meant a regular person
Wouldn’t he technically be “breaching” protocol and not “broaching” it? Is that a British-ism or something? Either way, whatever. I’d probably hug her.
Obviously he didn’t know and no harm was meant. It didn’t look like she was upset or startled at all. If the Brits want to make a big deal about it, it must be a slow week for their tabloids…..geeez
Was she not a commoner in the first place? So the first time she touched her now hubby didnt she break some protocol herself? Its her husbands place to be offended not ours. This is the same press who stalked his mother to death. Give everyone some room to be human beings.
It was ok for Prince Charles to have an affair though? Worry about something else and get your panties out of your asses.
Really! Thought we would’ve learned by now. Ask Americans what they know about royal etiquette and 99% will say nothing because we are not dumb enough to have royals in our country! Why would we give a shit? Should we start going to royal etiquette classes in the off chance we may see the queen, duchess or prince? Um…No. Good day sir! I said good day!!!
This is ridiculous, they are in the US! He is doing what americans do. We are told to adopt other social norms when we travel abroad and dont take offence, same rules apply. He did nothing wrong, this is socially normal for us and he did nothing wrong. It would have felt wierd if he didnt– we dont have royalty here.
Maybe those a holes need to just get over themselves. If LeBron wants to pet the nice British zoo animals, then I say go for it.
Americans who are saying shit about the war. Shut the hell up. That doesn’t do anything but create unnecessary drama. We are different countries with different methods of etiquette, yeah they don’t agree. Who cares? No one will agree. But to say crap about our freedom has no relevance in this conversation. Especially since there is so much damn hatred for so many different kinds of people who have different customs in our own country. We’re one to talk about not liking people for certain customs. Grow up. They have their opinions but don’t sink even farther to make rude comments that are irrelevant
Screw British Royalty! Were in America, not Britain! you guys dont rule the world! Screw Brittain!!
That’s how we take pictures
We Americans are often criticized for not adapting to local customs and behaving as ethnocentric brutes yet the UK appears to not want to respect our customs? Apparently glass houses are cheap across the pond. The royal couple had SEVEN games to choose from but came to see him and his team play. I don’t like sweaty people leaning on me so I would have waited but they likely had a time constraining issue so he took a few moments to give her a picture. Instead of making assumptions about the situation we could simply look to see what the Duchess had to say…which was nothing. So in the end to the UK critics who had an issue with this breach of etiquette I would kindly ask if you are so incapable of behaving with simple etiquette of treating your host with civility and understanding that we are at ease in our own country kindly do not visit. Simply do as the Duke has suggested buy an NBA league pass and watch from your glass house knowing that no “ghastly” American will touch you.
She was in King James court, royalty is allowed to touch each other in that case.
The Brits really need to get over themselves…and their Royals.
Screw “Royal Etiquette. We told the british monarchy to F off with rifles and cannon >200 years ago.
You f**king backward bellends. No one in the UK gives a rat’s ass about this royal etiquette you are banging on about. I can tell that many dumbasses on this site have never been out of their state let alone the country. The UK is your strongest ally so you can shove your anti British sentiment up your redneck arses!
There is no evidence in the article that says Brits are “in uproar.” The quotes are taken from the Daily Mail which is not known for its accuracy. Also, the picture they’ve used could also be her looking down at the jersey she was presented with by the team. Yet another example of the media creating unnecessary friction. Everyone just calm down.
She’s a princess in England, not America. She’s lucky enough to have met jay-z and taken a photo with LeBron. You don’t like our photo etiquette, no problem. Don’t get on the plane next time.
Fuck the UK really that must not Lebron is royalty in the USA must I remind you they greet him as King James #enoughsaid
I think that the Brits need to lighten up. Did Kate object?
Fuck whoever has a problem with this. That same sweaty shirt would sell for millions. The actual armpit billions. IDC if you are a princess, your not too good for a billion dollar armpit. Deuces
Duchess!
What are they afraid of she’ll get a wiff of what a man smells like
What the fuck is an “etiquette expert in the UK” and who the hell, exactly , is this dude who purports to be in “a redfaced tizzy” anyhoo? Sounds like a lot of tongue-in-cheek horse puckey to me.
If it’s the Daily Mail that’s pissing, moaning, and whining, that’s the UK equivalent of the National Enquirer…so this is all just bullshit. Right, Scene?
Anything for some “ink” about King James. Jeeze.
Besides, she’s the guest, and, as has already been mentioned, he outranks her in HIS court, plus it’s HIS country, and that’s how we do things over here. A Kate may look at a King, and all that. Cheerio and pip pip.
One last thing…it’s the fucking QUEEN you aren’t allowed to get touchy-feely with…the actual reigning monarch on the throne. Kate won’t have that rule to protect her from uppity black colonials until at least 2050 or so. Get over it. And when somebody…I forget who…DID touch the Queen a while back…life as we know it went on.
Hell, Kate was also touched by some hip-hop asshole and some sleazy skank, both of whom are considered close to royalty by a lot of brainless notches in this country, so where’s the beef?
Chuckles the Clown
Oh, and one last thing…a “breach” is a violation or an infraction, as of protocol.
A “broach” is what a princess wears, as in British or Jewish or whatever.
Just sayin…
Chuckles the Clown
Bow down to our king
I put my arm around the POTUS in the East Room of the White House for a photo and got stifled immediately by the secret service….the POTUS had no issue with the moment of celebration but the SS did….I have the framed pic in my office!
This is not the people’s opinion in the uk, but a newspaper article. So chill and don’t believe everything you read in the press! There’s no up roar here, that’s crazy paper talk.
Seriously? No one cares… America as per usual heightening the situation to make a story out of nothing…
Love the UK.
Hi there.
I’m British. Firstly, please let me assure you, on behalf of all the Brits I know, the UK is absolutely NOT ‘in an uproar’ over this. In fact, frankly, I had no idea this momentous incident had even taken place until I saw this link posted on my facebook feed.
Now that I have seen it, I am still no more incensed. In fact, I really couldn’t care less. No signs of ‘uproar’ here.
What on earth is an ‘etiquette expert?’ I’ve never met one, but if there’s a job vacancy going somewhere in the UK, I would love to apply!
Lastly, I don’t know what the source of this article is, but there are photos elsewhere of the Duke and Duchess looking completely comfortable with LeBron, and no mention of ‘broach of protocol.’ Personally, I think this article is a load of bollocks. (Balls, if you need a translation).
Isn’t it supposed to be “Breaches” Royal Protocol? “Broaches” means something else.
If you switch ‘in an uproar’ with ‘doesn’t give a fuck’, the headline more accurately reflects the UK populations take on the matter
What do you expect from ‘queen’ Kate and King James?
Doubt anyone in the UK (including our royals) could give a stuff but thankfully we have media outlets both sides of the pond stood by to perpetuate stereotypes and ensure that good old fashioned prejudices are maintained!!!
British Royalty and they’re ancient etiquette can suck an egg from LeBron James’ armpit
Mostly stupid comments by immatureeople talking about the war and crap. Hugging another mans wife without his or her permission is inapropriate. All smelly as well!
That Bitch ain’t no Ming Dynasty Vase. She is flesh and blood like the rest of us…..And I can say for certain she’s had much worse than sweat on that buttermilk skin….. I’m sure King James washed her off by now. No worries England your lineage is safe.Not our cup of “tea”
Has anyone spoken to Emily Post about any of this
‘Murica!
Click bait headlines will be the death of modern society, I swear. Look, I’m American currently in the UK and I can guarantee that the only Brit “in uproar” is the event planner quoted, who HAS to be that way as it is their job and the only way for that person to have any relevance. Everything is fine; when in Rome do Romanism; we are all buddies; a large percentage of the British aren’t royalists and spend a great deal of time complaining about the amount of tax money even having royals takes up; and William and Catherine Windsor are being gracious, respecting Ground Zero, and generally not causing anything like as much trouble as the media is. For click bait. And we’ve all gone and clicked. Now let us go back to being more-or-less allies, idolizing each other’s adorable actors, and gently ribbing each others’ accents, and worry less about the minor actions of semi-relevant rich people on both sides of the pond.
I’m sure that she took it in stride like the gracious person that she is.
(And really, my British cousins whom I love and live among in peace — can you blame us New Yorkers for being annoyed at the tone of this article? And of the protocol planner? No need to lash out at whole nations, of course, but both sides are guilty of that. No need to lash out at all, except at the dang clickbait tendencies of news today, of course. But the Internet lends itself to getting caught up in the moment. This is an artificial conflict and we are all cooler and better than that.)
Jesus, why so much anger from you Americans. We are after all supposed to be allies. Respecting protocol is not a bad thing. Mutual respect, does not cause wars or anger, the likes of which on here is damn right rude and embarassing!
I am british and no brit has any problem with this at all. its all made up rubbish from the daily mail. maybe one or two idiots didnt like it but we arent as stuck up as you think america!
William Hanson needs to jump in to a time machine and travel to the 21st century. More important things to worry about than this! #really?
Hey im from the Uk, hold no disregard towards america as I know it is one of the superpowers in the world who helps support us.
I would say as a nation the voices of the many rather than the few do not care in the slightest about this royal protocol, if this was elizabeth then yes its different as she was brought up in a time different to the one Kate was.
Kind Regards,
Mr C Byrne.
well isnt LaBron king out the court? So kiss our American asses!
Would love to see her in Brazil where we would kiss her on the cheeks, sometimes more than once, without hesitation (and probably never knowing who she really was). hahaha
no one cares about the 500 billion imaginary rules you’re supposed to follow when you meet “royalty”
I live in the UK and never heard about this until now. What this should read is “Daily Mail can go ££$& itself with it’s stories about nothing”.
Didn’t former first lady Barbara Bush kiss Denis Thatcher, the prime minister`s husband’s hand when they were introduced in London…1989. So whaat…social faux pas, nothing more.
Lol, he should have just grabbed that ass.