Britain’s Prince William, left, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge pose with Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, right, backstage of an NBA basketball game between the Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, in New York. AP
MANILA, Philippines – The ‘King’ is in trouble.
NBA royalty and star player LeBron James has been crticized by the British press after he allegedly breached royal protocol when he put his arm around Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton while posing for photos, along with the Duke of Cambridge Prince William, on Monday (Tuesday Philippine time).
During the photo session, the royal couple was presented with NBA jerseys, including one for their son, Prince George.
According to the British newspaper, The Independent, royal protocol “prohibits anyone from touching or kissing members of the royal family.” However, the official website of the British monarchy said that no obligatory code in meeting members of the royal family exists.
“There are no obligatory codes of behavior 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,” the website of the British monarchy stated.
The British press were quick to cite instances when the royal protocol was reportedly broken: Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbot placed his hand on Prince William’s back last April, US first lady Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen in 2009, and when the late British actor Mickey Rooney kissed the Queen’s hand in 2007.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watched Cavaliers star player LeBron beat the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center in New York, 110-88. They watched the game to promote a partnership between the Royal Foundation charity and the basketball league’s charity NBA Cares seeking to teach children the evils of illegal wildlife trade.
During the game, the royal couple also met with pop superstar pair Beyonce and Jay-Z. The Hollywood couple, however, only shook hands with the royals.
The Cavaliers-Nets game was part of the official trip of the royal couple to the US last week, their first since 2011.
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