4. The Mother of All Kisses
When it comes to all the pomp and circumstance, and traditions that surround the British, there are many protocols visiting dignitaries have to follow when visiting the Queen and her family at Buckingham Palace. Leaning in for a kiss is pretty high on the no-no list. But that’s precisely what happened when President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn paid the royals a visit in May 1977.
Sadly the footage has never surfaced, but the story goes that when the President met the Queen Mother, he inexplicably leaned in and gave the then 73-year-old a kiss directly on the lips, leaving everyone in shock. None more so than the clearly mortified Queen Mother herself. She would later recount the incident, saying, “Nobody has done that since my husband died,” she said. “I took a sharp step backwards – not quite far enough.” We can assume the Queen was less than pleased.
