First Lady Michelle Obama Speech Hugs The Queen Controversy Video

When Michelle Obama put her arm round the Queen at Buckingham Palace, some of the more excitable elements of the media - particularly the Americans - suggested she may have been guilty of a breach of protocol.

They missed the real story, however. What was far more interesting was that the Queen put her arm round the First Lady. 

Now the Queen is not just putting up with physical gestures of affection from a woman she has only just met, but is reciprocating with one of her own.

The footage does not make it clear who made the first move. But given the Queen’s track record - she is not a woman known for doing warm, at least not in public - the fact that Mrs Obama is American, and that the President spent most of the first part of the day putting his arm round Gordon Brown, it can safely be assumed that it was the First Lady who took the initiative.

A breach of protocol? Hardly. Buckingham Palace was very relaxed today about the incident, and attitudes there have changed significantly since the days of Mr Keating and his lese-majesty. And no, they don’t issue instructions to people about not touching the Queen.

“This was a mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation between The Queen and Michelle Obama,” said a Palace spokeswoman. [TIMES UK]

Less than 24 hours after her protocol-breaking hug of Queen Elizabeth, Michelle Obama pulled up in front of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school for a surprise visit.

On her way to the school, her motorcade passed newsstands teeming with reports about The Hug.

The Daily Mail, for one, called it "an electrifying moment of palpable majesté: A breach of centuries-long protocol ..."

While generally approving, reports noted that protocol "has been set in stone for generations. 'Whatever you do,' courtiers are apt to warn, 'don't touch the queen.'"

It went on to recount the furor in 1992 when the Australian prime minister put his arm round the queen's and was quickly branded as "The Lizard of Oz."

But that was then and this is now - and Britons are simply mad about Michelle Obama.

None more so than the 100 or so girls at the inner city school that got to meet her. <
"She was amazing," said 15-year-old Grace Fleary-Hollowell, a talented musician who performed a ballad with the theme that any dream is possible.

"The lyrics matched the sentiment in Mrs. Obama's speech - that if you work hard and believe in yourself, you can go as far as you dare," Grace said.

While some London grownups debated the queen hug, the girls at the school waited on line for their hugs from America's First Lady.

They cooed. They shrieked. They whistled. Amid scenes reminiscent of a Beatles concert, it was a wonder nobody fainted.

"She is perfect in every way," said an enthusiastic Muna Abanow, 14, aglow and giggly after singing with the senior choir for her new idol. "Her speech was incredible."

"I can't wait to get home and tell my family," added Lamara Thampson, 15. "They won't believe it happened."

For many of the more excitable students, Obama's surprise visit was out of this world, but as proud head teacher Jo Dibb pointed out, its purpose was rooted in reality. [NYDN]

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