Queen Elizabeth didn't mind being embraced by Michelle Obama in 2009, says royal dressmaker: 'An instant and mutual warmth'
Angela Kelly, Queen Elizabeth II's dressmaker and close confidant, recounted how the monarch felt an instant connection to former first lady Michelle Obama, when they met in the past and the pair immediately chose to forego one of the age-old Royal protocols during their meeting.
In her book, 'The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser, and the Wardrobe', excerpt of which was obtained by Hello! magazine, Kelly revealed how the Queen did not mind being embraced by Obama during their 2009 meeting, which was a strict no-no otherwise, for anyone meeting the 93-year-old monarch.
“The Queen has the ability to make everyone feel so relaxed that sometimes it feels instinctive to be tactile with her, just as Michelle Obama demonstrated during the State Visit with her husband, President Obama, in 2009,” wrote Kelly. “Much has been made about the meeting between Michelle and her Majesty when an instant and mutual warmth was shared between these two remarkable women, and the protocol was abandoned as they stood closely with their arms around each other’s backs."
She added that in that particular situation “there is no protocol that must be adhered to.”
“In reality, it was a natural instinct for the Queen to show affection and respect for another great woman,” Kelly added. “When fondness is felt or the host of a State Visit goes to guide her Majesty up some steps, it truly is about human kindness and this is something the Queen will always welcome warmly.”
Kelly's observation was corroborated by Michelle herself in her 2018 memoir 'Becoming,' where she said that although her particular informal gesture was scrutinized at the time by the media, she did not think the queen got offended by it.
"If I hadn’t done the proper thing at Buckingham Palace, I had at least done the human thing,” she wrote. “I daresay that 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.”