Trump immediately breaks royal protocol as he welcomes King Charles on state visit

Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomes King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House on Monday on their first day of the state visit. It didn't take long for the US president to break royal protocol. After the couple landed in the US they arrived at the White House's South Lawn for a reception, where they were greeted by the President and posed for pictures. Donald Trump gave the King a firm handshake as the First Lady kissed the Queen on both cheeks - the couple then posed for photographs as they exchanged remarks. After the pictures were captured, they turned to head inside the White House's main residence for a garden party. As Trump turned to make his way, he tapped the King on the shoulder. This action broke royal protocol, breaching the unwritten rule to never initiate physical contact. The movement could be seen as a sign of affection, however body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: "This touch on the arm as they walked in also looked like a more political gesture. "It was also the first real gesture of active, 'special' friendship here from a rather more subdued Trump than the very effusive rituals we saw during their last meeting [in September 2025]." James added that the King did not seem to mind that this was breach of protocol. "Charles has always seemed more relaxed about that than his mother [Queen Elizabeth II], and Trump's gesture was extremely tempered for Trump. "Just a light, tentative and rather polite touch to steer Charles inside," James added. She said that the handshake shared between the pair lasted roughly eight seconds and appeared businesslike whereas Melania brought a more relaxed feel to the welcome. "This initial greeting ritual gave the surface impression of geniality, and the cheek kisses from Melania created the impression of warmth, with an almost "family" style approach," James said. This is not the first time Trump has been seen to break royal protocol with British monarchs. On a state visit to the UK in July 2018, he was captured turning his back on the Queen and marching in front of her as they walked past the troops. He also appeared to break protocol on his visit to London last year, as he grabbed Charles above the elbow. The King and Queen's state visit comes just after a security breach at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, in which a suspect fire gunshots in an alleged assassination attempt. Despite this, the visit has gone ahead and the couple have a jam-packed schedule. On Tuesday, Charles will address Congress, marking the second time a British monarch has done so, the first being his mother in 1991.