Did Prince Charles just snub US Vice President Mike Pence?
Prince Charles appeared to have “snubbed” Mike Pence as a video shows the royal walking past the US vice president without shaking his hand.
The Prince of Wales was attending the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem on Thursday when he made his way down the line of dignitaries. The prince reached Pence and his wife Karen but did not shake hands with them, and continued on to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Some observers believed the Duke of Cornwall had ignored or “shunned” the vice president by not shaking hands with him.
However, the representatives of both the Buckingham Palace and the White House have denied the claim, noting that Charles had already greeted Pence and his wife earlier in the event.
“Vice President Pence and the Second Lady spoke with Prince Charles for five minutes in the pre-program before they entered the hall. Also, they shook hands at the end of his remarks,” said the vice president’s press secretary Katie Waldman.
Video of @Mike_Pence and Prince Charles backstage in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/PWOypUaUs3
— Katie Waldman (@VPPressSec) January 23, 2020
A royal spokesperson told the BBC the prince and the vice president had a “long and warm conversation” before the start of the ceremony.
In the video posted by Israel’s official Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem, the prince could also be heard greeting the vice president, saying “Mr Pence”.