The correct way to shake hand with Queen Elizabeth
London: The protocol is crucial when it comes to the royal family, and there is a lot of it to observe. This starts the instant you meet one of The Firm’s members.
A simple handshake will not be enough, especially when meeting the Queen. If you ever have the good fortune to visit the palace and shake Her Majesty’s hand, there are certain very precise protocols you must follow.
To begin, you should always wait for the monarch to start the handshake; you should never extend your hand first: “If you are a member of the public meeting a member of the royal family, you should never offer your hand to shake – wait for them to initiate the handshake.”
More unusually, the handshake itself is one-of-a-kind. “A royal handshake should consist of two to three pumps, with your palms open and your thumbs down,” Grant said.
Then, once the handshake is complete, no more touching should occur, as this is not customary when the public interacts with the royals. This is why rule one, which states that they must commence the shaking, applies, according to the expert.
According to Grant, the touching prohibition serves both a security and an etiquette purpose. He added he said. “It poses a major security risk if someone is able to get so close that they are able to touch members of the Royal Family.”
And is considered a security risk to the royal family is not really a position that anyone wants to end up in.