ABC NewsHaving spent 70 years as a monarch-in-waiting, His Royal Highness Prince Charles has no doubt had to shake hands and take tea with people he would rather have simply locked up in the Tower of London.
And could it be the future King has just expressed his dislike of a certain president in an absolutely hilarious – and let’s face it, pretty understandable – way?
Yup. Royal watchers are absolutely convinced Prince Charles has just flipped off President Donald Trump, with a gesture subtly disguised as a suspiciously long, one-fingered face scratch.
Check out the surprisingly Cheeky Charlie in action below:
British subjects and fed-up Americans alike have bonded over the Prince of Wales’ apparent ‘bad boy’ moment, which has since sparked the unlikely hashtag #JeSuisCharlie.
One person applauded:
If this was done with intent, give him the damn crown!
Another approved:
He had four other fingers on that hand to choose from and he chose that one. That was not a mistake. Nice.
PANow it is, of course, unclear whether or not Prince Charles actually flipped Trump the finger, or whether – most likely – we’re all just seeing what we want to see.
However, it’s probably fair to guess the two men have a difference of opinion on a few important issues.
Prince Charles is an ardent environmentalist, having recently called upon the private sector to lead the fight against climate change by making green investments. Meanwhile, President Trump is a known climate change sceptic who has taken formal action to exit the Paris climate agreement.
During Trump’s last visit to the UK in June, the pair reportedly discussed climate change, with the president making the following remarks to Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain:
He is really into climate change and I think that’s great. What he really wants and what he really feels warmly about is the future. He wants to make sure future generations have climate that is good climate, as opposed to a disaster, and I agree.
[…] I did say, ‘Well, the United States right now has among the cleanest climates there are based on all statistics.’ And it’s even getting better because I agree with that we want the best water, the cleanest water. It’s crystal clean, has to be crystal clean clear.
Does the US President believe in climate change?
Trump says he discussed climate change with Prince Charles, who he believes is 'a very good person' who 'wants to have a world that's good for future generations'. pic.twitter.com/QNlXhiS1mO
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 5, 2019
And President Trump’s flagrant denial of his country’s carbon footprint might not have been the only thing to get PC turning the palace air blue.
According to Insider, The Donald and Melania both managed to break Royal protocol while visiting Queen Elizabeth and Co., shaking hands rather than curtsying and bowing.
Joining the Royal Family for the NATO summit at Buckingham Palace, the Trumps were captured opting for handshakes, breaking protocol just as they did on their last visit in the summer.
According to official guidelines on the Royal Family’s website:
There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms.
For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.
PAOf course, many of us would no doubt struggle to recall protocol when chatting with the actual, literal Queen.
But if you’re the most powerful individual on the planet, you’d at least have a go at remembering your Ps and Qs.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.