TORONTO -- Buckingham Palace and the White House have both denied speculation that the Prince of Wales deliberately snubbed U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence while greeting world leaders on Thursday.
In video shared widely online, Charles is seen shaking hands at the World Holocaust Forum in in Jerusalem. He greets European Jewish Congress president and founder of the World Holocaust Forum Moshe Kantor then appears to walk straight past Pence and wife Karen to greet Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, who was hosting the fifth edition of the event. Pence pats the prince on his arm as he walks by.
Pence’s press secretary tweeted Thursday morning that the “snub” characterization was “not true.”
“VP and Prince Charles spoke prior to entering the event floor and after his remarks as well,” wrote Katie Waldman, including a photo of the duo’s apparently cheerful exchange.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed as much with the BBC, saying the two had a “long and warm conversation” before the event began.
The viral clip, which has been retweeted thousands of times, was greeted with a mix of praise and skepticism online.
“I assume this was purely unintentional,” wrote Twitter user Joshua Phillipson, who posted the clip. “Still kinda funny on an ‘international diplomatic incident’ level.”
“That is how the whole world feels! Kudos to Prince Charles,” wrote one user.
“That says MUCH more about Charles than it does Pence. Pence should consider it a badge of honor,” wrote another.
This isn’t the first instance of speculation about a royal and a U.S. leader’s interactions. In December, video filmed at a Buckingham Palace reception caught Princess Anne apparently shrugging at Queen Elizabeth, who was greeting U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania. At the time, some social media users suggested the Queen was “scolding” Anne for ignoring the Trumps.
With files from The Associated Press
