Queen Elizabeth II reaches out and touches someone

With all the fuss surrounding Mrs Obama giving the Queen a hug, you'd think she'd greeted her Majesty with a fist bump and high-fived her for the hospitality. The Queen is said to not be very touchy-feely; even with her own family. It's a rare occurrence to see her make physical contact and when it does happen it all becomes frightfully significant to those with too much time on their hands.

But was it not Her Majesty who initiated the contact? Did she not put her arm around Michelle Obama's waist first? Thereby throwing royal and presidential protocol to the wind? The instant replays seem to reveal the Queen as the guilty party.

Were the two women just having a moment, or was this a serious breach of protocol?

Just ask those with too much time on their hands.

© Marilyn Braun 2009